Ore wa Goburin, dakara nanika? (Oregobu?)
by SeerKing
Summary: At the end of his life, Uzumaki Naruto is tried by an angry divine being for numerous so-called 'crimes' he committed in his life. He is sentenced to live his life as one of the weakest monsters in another world as a trial. if he leads his people well, he moves on. If not, he will be punished...severely. Gamer!Naruto. NaruxHarem
1. Chapter 1

"I'm a Goblin…" - Regular Speech.

'… _So what?_ ' - Thoughts.

{ **Is the Title** } - Voice of Heaven Announcement.

 **Chapter 1: Pure World Denial**

Uzumaki Naruto, formerly the Nanadaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, formerly the Sandaime Jinchūriki of Kurama, the Kyūbi no Kitsune and formerly alive, looked around at the place he was standing in bemusement. Not a minute ago, he had died surrounded by his large family at the age of 100, an unheard of age for a Demon Vessel save for Uzumaki Mito, the Shodaime Jinchūriki of Kurama.

Now he was…floating in a white void, not unlike the world he had been in when he had met the chakra clone of his mother during the Fourth Great Ninja War.

"Kaa-san? You here?" Naruto called.

Receiving no answer, he frowned before he realised he sounded almost exactly like he had when he was fifteen. In fact, looking down, he saw he was dressed in the black and burnt orange jumpsuit he had worn at that age…and he had the same body as his fifteen-year-old self too!

"What the heck is going on here?" Naruto muttered.

{Finally!} a voice spoke within his head, I was wondering when you'd get around to asking that!

Jerking his head up, he saw a…white blob thing floating in front of him. It was the size of a medicine ball and was so bright it was hard to look at.

"Who…or what…are you?" Naruto asked.

{I suppose you could call me an angel.} the being said with a sniff. Lights danced over its surface as it 'spoke' to him, {And you, Uzumaki Naruto, are in trouble!}

"Err…I don't see how." Naruto said in confusion, "I _am_ dead, right?"

{Yes, yes, but it is your actions while alive are what I am referring to!} the being shot back, black appearing on it and Naruto got the impression that this angel (whatever _that_ was) seemed to be pretty angry at him for some reason.

"Hey! I was a damn hero!" Naruto protested.

{That is entirely beside the point!} the angel seemed to bristle with anger, {You regularly associated with the Desecrators Orochimaru and Yakushi Kabuto!}

"If by 'associated with', you mean 'we tried to kill each other a good dozen or so times', then yes." Naruto answered dryly.

{You broke destiny when you fought against the demon Mōryō!} the blob continued, {You were supposed to die!}

"Hey, I don't believe in a fixed destiny." Naruto countered, "And he would have subjugated all of the Elemental Nations if I hadn't helped Priestess Shion stop him!"

{And your worst crime of imprisoning the Rabbit Goddess?} the angel challenged him, {There's no denying that you and that friend of yours sealed her away!}

"Uh, yeah, because she wanted to _turn everyone in the entire world into hanging fruit on the Shinju!_ " Naruto said with a glare, "Besides, she wasn't an actual goddess; that was a nickname given to Ōtsutsuki Kaguya by the people of her time!"

{Why you…!} the angel started to turn red.

{Enough!} another white blob appeared next to the first, {******, you have lowered yourself to beneath his level by ranting at him. Shame on you!}

{But ******~!} the first one protested. For some reason, Naruto couldn't hear or understand their names.

"Excuse me, but can someone _please_ fill me in on what the hell is going on here?" he asked in irritation.

{Very well.} the second 'angel' replied. This one 'sounded' more mature than the first. {You have been brought here to answer for your crimes. _Ordinarily_ -} here, it felt like the second blob was glaring at the first, {-you would be dealt with by a panel of angels, but as my compatriot here took matters into her own hands, starting things early and you defended yourself on instinct and without a panel, you must endure trial by life.}

"I'm sorry, what?" Naruto asked in disbelief.

{Basically, you will be reincarnated into another world as a weak monster.} the second angel explained, {You will live your life out there and when you die, you will be brought back here for judgement. If you have lived your life in a good manner that benefits your race, you will be found innocent. If you die early or do not make a difference, you will be found guilty.}

"Hold it, what about Sasuke?" Naruto protested, "He was a part of sealing Kaguya as well!"

{True, but he will be judged by a full panel rather than this summary justice.} the angel replied.

"The Teme always gets the due process." the blond former Hokage grumbled, "And? What happens if I'm found guilty?"

{You'll be cast into purgatory for an epoch, the length to be determined upon your return.} the first angel said snidely.

{On the other hand, if found innocent, you will be sent on to the Pure World to be with your wife and friends.} the second one interjected.

"What the hell…why not?" Naruto sighed, "It isn't as if this is the strangest thing that's happened to me. Can I ask exactly-"

{No you may not!} the first one snapped petulantly.

{It is required to explain everything.} the second angel said reprovingly, {You have said and done quite enough for now, ******, so kindly return so you can be dealt with later.}

With a sniff of disdain, the first angel vanished abruptly.

{She is young.} the remaining angel apologised, {She sees things in absolutes where none truly exist. Now…have you ever heard of an RPG?}

Caught off guard by the apparent _non sequitur_ , Naruto thought back for a moment before replying, "Yeah…I think I played a couple with my grandkids a couple of times. Why?"

{The world you will be reincarnated into will have certain aspects of an RPG game in it.} the angel explained, {There will be levels, stats, skills and quests just like in one. In addition, while you will start as a monster at the bottom of the totem pole, you will be able to 'evolve' into a more powerful monster once you reach a certain level and fulfil certain conditions.}

"Can I ask why a monster rather than a human?" Naruto put forwards.

{It is a test to see if you are capable of sympathising with those you are drastically different from.} the being replied.

"So I'll still have my memories?" Naruto asked.

{Of course. Not much point in testing you if you have no idea who you even are.} was the answer he got.

"OK then…so how do we do this then?" he asked once he memorised everything.

{Merely close your eyes and when you open them again, you will be reborn.} the angel instructed him, {You will be unable to do anything until you fully mature, so you can control the status screen with your thoughts. Merely think 'Status' in order to open it. See you in a lifetime.}

With that, Naruto close his eyes.

 _Unknown Location_

 _Undetermined Amount of Time Later_

Opening his eyes, Naruto saw a rock ceiling partially covered in moss. Evidently he had been reincarnated as a cave-dwelling monster. At least it wasn't as a ghost or something.

He tried to jerk back when an old and heavily wrinkled face appeared above him. The skin was green and the creature's head was bald on top, with a long and straggly beard reaching down to the floor. The ears were pointed and the nose was too.

' _Holy crap, a Goblin!_ ' Naruto thought in shock, ' _A Goblin Jiji!_ '

Hang on, this means that he was a goblin as well! Damn, that angel was right; he really was the lowest rung on the ladder. Goblins were usually weak as hell.

"Hmmm…" the aged goblin mused, "As for you…Gobuto…yes, from now on, you are Gobuto!"

EEEEEHHHHHH?! What's with that lame-ass naming sense?! It sounds like some kind of weird foot disease! Damn lazy goblin!

Calming himself down, Naruto recalled that he would be all but helpless until he grew up. How long did it take a goblin to mature into an adult? Given how they were used as cannon fodder in games he had played, probably not long.

' _Let's see here…the angel said something about opening a screen of some kind…err…_ [ _Status_ ] _?_ '

A blue box opened up in front of him, floating a foot away from his face.

 **Name: Gobuto**

 **Level: 0 (Newborn Infant)**

 **Race: Goblin**

 **Job: None**

 **HP: 10/10**

 **MP: [Locked]**

 **Strength: 0**

 **Toughness: 1**

 **Dexterity: 0**

 **Initiative: 1**

 **Wisdom: 0**

 **Leadership: [Locked]**

 **Skill Points: 0**

 **Gobuto is a runt.**

O…K. That's more than slightly underwhelming. Then again, this body was only a few hours old, if that, so it was hardly a surprise he was weak.

' _Lessee…the angel said I have a bunch of stuff…ah!_ [ _Skills_ ] _!_ '

The first window closed and another one, orange this time, opened up.

Skills: - [Speak Goblin Language] (LVMAX) {Locked}

\- [Gluttony] (LVMAX) {Locked}

\- [Instinctive Combatant] (LV1) {Locked}

\- [Strength in Numbers] (LV1) {Locked}

\- [Precocious] (LVMAX)

\- [Take Forcibly] (LVMAX) {Locked}

\- [Cunning] (LV1) {Locked}

\- [Demon Tribe's Factor] (LVMAX) {Locked}

\- [Night Vision] (LV1)

He had eight skills…all but one of them locked. He tried to open them with his thoughts, but nothing happened. He tried to touch them with his stubby little hands, but he couldn't move them very well and it made him really tired.

With a small huff, he mentally closed the screen and almost immediately fell asleep.

 _Three Days later_

Naruto stood as a fully mature Goblin. It had taken him three days, including the first day, to grow to a Goblin adult…not that the size was all that impressive. He was around about the same size he had been as a fresh Genin, maybe an inch or so shorter.

Once he had woken up yesterday, a little jingle-jangle had played and a familiar voice had spoken into his head.

-Flashback-

 _{Congratulations! You are a fully mature Goblin! Your stats have been altered to reflect this and your skills have been unlocked!}_

 _{You have lost the skill [Precocious] as a result of fully maturing!}_

 _Eagerly, he had opened the skill screen and pressed one clawed finger onto [Speak Goblin Language]._

 **[Speak Goblin Language] (Level MAX)**

 **Known to outsiders as Grobbri, the Goblin tongue is spoken by all goblin-type monsters and even monsters of other races have a working knowledge of it, making it the equivalent of the Trade language of the humans.**

 **Racial Skill**

 **\- Permits the user to speak to and understand the speech of all goblin-type monsters without any penalty.**

 **\- Adds +10 to any attempt to persuade, intimidate or charm a fellow goblin.**

 _Well, that was fairly standard. He could speak to other members of his own race, big wow. He moved on to the next one._

 **[Gluttony] (Level MAX)**

 **Unique Skill**

 **Gluttony is the ability to eat anything without harm. Flesh, metal bone or stone, you can eat it without getting so much as a stomach ache. In addition, when you devour a creature or a piece of a creature, you have a chance of stealing one or more of their skills. The more of the creatures you eat, the higher chance you have of gaining a skill from them. Certain parts are rumoured to increase the chances of this, although what parts they might be are unknown.**

 **\- Grants immunity to any poison or acid imbibed through the mouth.**

 **\- Allows the user to bite through anything as long as it is not alive.**

 **\- Allows the user to digest anything he eats.**

 **\- Allows the user to gain skills from the prey that the user eats.**

 _Broken! This was a broken skill! Naruto stared in shock at the box and thought, '_ Damn, this means I get stronger the more I eat? Chōji would have loved this skill… _'_

 **[Instinctive Combatant] (Level 1, 00.00)**

 **Racial Skill**

 **Goblins and Orcs have an instinctive skill for combat, although Orcs tend to be more powerful in this regard due to their size and strength. Nevertheless, both species can enter combat with the crudest of weapons and be effective.**

 **\- Grants a +1 bonus to all attacks made by [Improvised] and [Crude] weaponry.**

 _That…was fairly weak, but it was only a Level 1 skill, so that was to be expected._

 **[Strength in Numbers] (Level 1, 00.00)**

 **Racial Skill**

 **Goblins are infamous for attacking in massive waves, overrunning and defeating better armed and organised troops through sheer weight of numbers alone. To a goblin commander, quantity has a quality in and of itself.**

 **\- Grants a +1 bonus to all physical stats per five goblins within a ten meter radius.**

 _Considering how weak Goblins were supposed to be, this was probably a necessity for most Goblins. Naruto…or rather, Gobuto as he was now, wouldn't be like that, thank you very much._

 **[Taken Forcibly] (Level MAX)**

 **Racial Skill**

 **Goblins are infamous for their poor treatment of women and as a result, have a 50% higher chance of impregnating humans than their fellow goblins.**

 _Naruto didn't like what this skill implied._

 **[Cunning] (Level 1, 00.00)**

 **Racial Skill**

 **Goblins are generally seen as being stupid, which is quite true. On the other hand, they can display a great deal of cunning…if they live long enough.**

 **\- 25% chance of a +5 Initiative and Wisdom boost during combat.**

 _This one was just up Naruto's alley. He always did like being cunning._

 **[Demon Tribe's Factor] (Level MAX)**

 **Racial Skill**

 **Goblins are rumoured to have been made by human magicians in the distant past using the blood of demons mixed with small amounts of human flesh. Whatever the case, they are regarded as being partly demonic due to their general malevolence and anti-human attitudes.**

 **\- All anti-demon effects are half effective against Goblins.**

 **\- Able to use all [Demon] restricted items.**

 _That was a cause for concern. Oh well._

 **[Night Vision] (Level 1, 00.00)**

 **Racial Skill**

 **The eyes of goblins are well adapted to the environment that they often find themselves in…caves, ruins and the Darklands, where light is seldom found.**

 **\- Allows the user to see 25% better in the darkness.**

 _Very useful._

 _Closing the_ [ _Skill_ ] _window, Gobuto then opened the_ [ _Status_ ] _window so he could see the difference from what it had been before he had matured._

 **Name: Gobuto**

 **Level: 1**

 **To Next Level: 150 EXP**

 **Race: Goblin**

 **Job: None**

 **HP: 100/100**

 **MP: [Locked]**

 **Strength: 10**

 **Toughness: 10**

 **Dexterity: 12**

 **Initiative: 10**

 **Wisdom: 11**

 **Leadership: [Locked]**

 **Equipment: Head: None**

 **Torso: None**

 **Arms: None**

 **Undergarments: Filthy Loincloth**

 **Legs: None**

 **Feet: None**

 **R. Hand: None**

 **L. Hand: None**

 **Attribute Points: 0**

 **Skill Points: 10**

 **Gobuto is a newly matured Goblin. Untried, untested and unknown.**

 _OK then. So he had way better stats than when he was a newborn. That was still weak sauce compared to what Gobuto expected a human's stats to be like._

 _Why was his MP and Leadership locked? He reached out and pressed the [Locked] symbol next to [MP]._

 **[MP is locked until you obtain a magic-based skill.]**

 _OK, that was fair. And [Leadership]?_

 **[Leadership is locked until you become a leader of a group.]**

 _That was fair enough as well. So…what to do now…?_

 _Exercise._

-Flashback End-

He had earned a point in Strength and Toughness from all his exercise the previous day, but he had fallen asleep almost as soon as he laid don on the dirt floor.

He'd have to see about getting a futon or something. Sleeping on the dirt sucked.

"Hey, newbie!" one older goblin yelled at him, "Yeah, you with the scratches on your cheeks!"

Gobuto pointed at himself.

"Yes, you! Go on and do some hunting!" the older goblin snorted, "If you don't hunt, you don't eat anything but caterpillars, moss and lichen!"

 **Quest Alert!**

 **Daily Quest: I'm Hunting Wabbits!**

 **Team up with another Goblin from your generation and hunt down two [Horned Rabbits] to share between you.**

 **Quest Reward: 100 EXP, 10 SP**

 **Quest Failure: Eat Moss and Lichen for food.**

 **Accept?**

 **Y/N**

' _Hmm…fresh meat or soggy cave moss…a tough choice, this is not!_ ' Gobuto thought with a snort. He hit the 'Y' key and accepted the quest before calling back, "OK!" to the other goblin.

Immediately, several Goblins had an exclamation mark appear over their heads. It didn't take much brainpower to figure out that those were the goblins with which he could partner up with. He carefully examined each of them to discover something about them.

{ **Through constant repetition, the skill [Appraise Creature] has been created.** }

 **[Appraise Creature] (Level 1, 00.00)**

 **Allows you to see the stats of any living creature. Unusable on creatures 50+ levels higher than you. Unusable on golems. Data starts off scant, but increases as the level goes up.**

 **Current information displayed: Name, Level, Gender.**

Oh-ho! This was interesting!

Gobuto used the skill on several of the goblins and discovered that the ones who had hair were females, which was odd. Female goblins? Who knew?

 **Goburi - Male, Level 1**

 **Gobuzi - Female, Level 1**

 **Gobuki - Female, Level 1**

 **Gobuseri - Male, Level 1**

 **Gobura - Female, Level 1**

 **Gobuneko - Female, Level 1**

 **Goburyū - Male, Level 1**

…that old Goblin…has NO naming sense!

{ **[Appraise Creature] has levelled up! LV1-LV2!** }

' _Oho!_ ' Gobuto thought, ' _Let's try that last one out again…_ '

 **Goburyū**

 **Gender: Male**

 **Level: 1**

 **S: 10**

 **T: 11**

 **D: 12**

 **I: 8**

 **W: 8**

' _OK, so now I can see their stats._ ' he thought. After checking the rest again, he determined that Goburyū had the lowest mental stats out of the whole lot of them and was thus unlikely to try and stab him in the back. He vaguely remembered one description of goblins as being untrustworthy as a whole.

"Hey, Goburyū!" he called out to his chosen partner.

"Yeah?" the goblin said as he turned around. Goburyū had a slightly larger head than other goblins and had a slightly vacant expression on his face.

"I'm going hunting. Coming?" Gobuto replied.

A grin split Goburyū's face as he nodded vigorously. He reached down and grabbed a crude wooden club. Not bad.

{ **Goburyū has joined your party!** }

Ignoring the voice in his head, Gobuto led Goburyū towards the cave's entrance. In his mind, he was planning things out. In order to get into the Pure World after he died (again) and see Hinata and his friends again, he had to make a marked difference for the better for the goblins of his tribe.

He didn't really know why this particular trial was selected for him, but it wasn't something he was unused to. He would make a difference…as the ruler of this area!

Gobuto would become the damn king around here!

 **OGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNK**

 **Next Chapter: Hunting and Gluttony**

 **OGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNK**


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm a Goblin…" - Regular Speech.

'… _So what?_ ' - Thoughts.

{ **Is the Title** } - Voice of Heaven Announcement.

 **Chapter 2: Hunting and Gluttony**

Stepping into the blinding sunshine for the first time (in this body anyway) was slightly painful. Blinking the tears away, Naruto beheld the forest that his goblin tribe lived in. it was thick, dark and was very likely quite some distance from any human settlement…

…perfect for goblins then.

"Gobuto, take this." his companion, Goburyū, handed him something. Looking at it, Naruto/Gobuto beheld…a stick. A very ordinary looking stick.

{ **As the result of a specific action, the Skill [Appraise Weapons] was created.** }

 **[Appraise Weapons] (Level 1, 00.00)**

 **Allows the user to inspect weapons. Initial data scanty, but improves at higher levels.**

 **Current Information Displayed: Weapon Name, Durability, Description and Damage Dealt.**

OK. Useful. Gobuto instantly used it on the stick in his hand.

 **[Solid Wooden Stick]**

 **Improvised Weapon**

 **A stick made from a fallen tree limb. You really cannot get more basic than this, aside from your fists.**

 **Concussive Damage - SX1.5**

 **Durability: 25/25**

…

' _Note to self: get a better damn stick!_ ' Gobuto thought as he walked forwards, trailed by Goburyū. 'S' meant strength and 'X1.5' meant times 1.5, so the damage dealt each time he hit something with his stick was currently…16.5, which he didn't doubt was low by any world's standards. Including the bonus he got from **[Instinctive Combatant]** , it was 17.5 per hit, which wasn't better by much.

Still, it wasn't worse than getting pig iron kunai instead of solid steel kunai. When Tenten had heard about that shop selling him that rubbish after he had gotten back from his training trip with Ero Sennin, she had given them a pointed (emphasis on _pointed_ here) reason to not try that with him ever again.

Friends were good.

Hearing rustling leaves, Gobuto stopped Goburyū with a hand to the chest. Ahead of them, a small rabbit with a single horn as long as half of the rabbit's body hopped out of the undergrowth. Gobuto immediately used **[Appraise Creature]** on it

 **Horned Rabbit - LV1**

 **Rabbit**

 **S: 5**

 **T: 4**

 **D: 10**

 **I: 10**

 **W: 7**

' _Huh…this isn't so bad._ ' Gobuto thought, ' _This thing's fairly weak…better avoid that horn though._ '

In a few whispered words, Gobuto outlined his plan to Goburyū, who nodded before climbing a tree.

Gobuto leapt out and startled the rabbit. Surprisingly for a small animal, the instinct to fight won out over flight and it bounded at him with that rather sharp horn pointed in his direction.

Dodging to one side, Gobuto yelled, "Now, Goburyū!"

With a yell, the other goblin dropped out of the tree and fell towards the rabbit, smashing it over the head with his club and breaking the horn off.

 **{Horned Rabbit Defeated!**

 **Gobuto gains 20 EXP and [Rabbit Horn] (Small)!**

 **Goburyū gains 20 EXP!** }

"Nice!" Gobuto said with a nod.

Splitting the rabbit between them immediately was the decision they made, as they were both dying to have something other than cave moss and lichen.

Either goblin taste buds were more sensitive than that of a human or he was just that hungry, because the Horned Rabbit meat tasted _really_ good.

Examining the horn, Gobuto was hardly surprised when another window popped up.

{ **As the result of a specific action, the skill [Appraise Item] was created!** }

 **[Appraise Item] (Level 1, 00.00)**

 **Allows the user to inspect regular items in the world. Information is scanty until higher levels.**

 **Information Displayed: Item Name, Description.**

' _OK, so that makes three 'Appraise' skills. Wonder why it isn't just the same one?_ ' Gobuto wondered, ' _Meh. Let's try this one out._ '

 **[Rabbit Horn] (Small)**

 **Crafting Material**

 **The broken horn from an adolescent Horned Rabbit. It can be used as an improvised weapon, but it will break after a single use.**

Gobuto decided that trying to stab something with a dagger that would break with one hit wasn't worth it, so he chomped down on the horn and ate it up. And…

{ **As a result of devouring [Rabbit Horn] (Small), the skill [Lesser-Improved Piercing Power] was gained!** }

 **[Lesser-Improved Piercing Power] (Level 1, 00.00)**

 **Grants a slight bonus to attacks made with weapons that have the [Piercing] Characteristic.**

 **Bonus Attack: +2**

Useful for when he has a better weapon than a damn stick, but not so useful right now.

As they had to hunt two of the damn rabbits in order to complete the quest, Gobuto motioned to Goburyū to follow him again as he set out to hunt the damn thing.

This time, they did it the other way around. Goburyū was the decoy and Gobuto landed the strike that killed it. Landing a solid strike to the back of a small animal's head with a regular stick with enough force behind the blow to kill it isn't something most Chunin-level Shinobi back in his own world would be able to do with the aid of chakra, let alone in a runty goblin's body with no such thing as chakra existing.

They were not Uzumaki Naruto.

 **{[Horned Rabbit] defeated!**

 **Gobuto receives 25 EXP and [Rabbit Horn]!**

 **Goburyū receives 25 EXP!** }

 **Quest Complete!**

 **Daily Quest: [I'm Hunting Wabbits]: You and your companion have successfully slain two [Horned Rabbits] and will not go hungry today!**

 **Quest Reward: 100 EXP, 10 SP**

As Gobuto once more divided up the spoils and chomped down on the rabbit meat, he mused that at some point, he would have to find a blade of some kind to get the skin off of the carcasses, as it seemed to dull the taste somewhat.

{ **As of a result of devouring [Horned Rabbit] meat, the skill [Escape] has been gained!** }

…what?

 **[Escape] (Level 1, 00.00)**

 **If fleeing from an enemy, this skill adds +5% to the chance of success.**

As Uzumaki Naruto, he hadn't been in the habit of retreating. The very thought was nauseating for him. But…in this weakened body and with no accelerated healing from either his Uzumaki Heritage or Kurama, having a way to retreat quickly would probably be an advantage.

"Let's head back to the cave." he said to Goburyū, who was finishing off his half of the rabbit. The dim goblin nodded and followed Gobuto.

' _That's five skills I've learned today…_ **[Appraise Weapon]** _,_ __ **[Appraise Item]** _,_ **[Appraise Creature]** _,_ **[Lesser-Improved Piercing Power]** _and_ **[Escape]** _._ ' Gobuto thought as he walked, ' _Most aren't exactly useful right now, but with a bit of practice they could be. Better practice what I can._ '

So he started using [Appraise Item] on everything he could see…trees, rocks, bushes and the like. It was just about the only skill he could level up properly and sure enough…

{ **[Appraise Item] has levelled up! 1-2!** }

' _That's one down._ ' Gobuto thought.

 **OGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNK**

 _The Next Day_

 _Goblin Cave_

{ **You have survived another day! You gain 10 EXP!** }

{ **Gobuto has levelled up! 1-2!**

 **Gobuto gains five Attribute Points!**

 **Gobuto gains ten Skill Points!** }

This is what woke Gobuto up the next morning. He was suddenly reminded that he was sleeping on a dirt floor, under a filthy blanket and with only a filthy loincloth to protect his modesty.

' _Clothes…_ ' he thought dreamily. He missed his Hokage outfit.

 **Quest Created!**

 **Clothes Make the Goblin!**

 **You are tired of running around almost naked. Create some clothes or armour to wear!**

 **Quest Reward: [?] Skill, 200 EXP**

 **Accept?**

 **Y/N**

…

' _Is this quest thing responding to my thoughts?_ ' Gobuto wondered. It certainly seemed like it.

Hitting 'Y' with one clawed finger, as he really did want some clothes, Gobuto decided to explore the cave that was his home.

It was a large series of caves that seemed to go back quite far into the cliff that they were dug into. Gobuto recognised that they were somewhat cramped by the standards of humans, but for goblins they were perfect.

"Hmm?" Gobuto kicked something with his right foot. Looking down, he saw it was a rusty looking dagger of some kind. The shape was very different from the tantō he was used to seeing in his world.

" **[** Appraise Weapon **]**." he grunted.

 **[Rusty Blunt Dagger]**

 **A dagger that has seen far better days. The edges are nicked and blunt and the point has snapped off. The engraving on the hilt indicates that this was once the dagger of a member of the nobility.**

 **Slashing Damage: None**

 **Piercing Damage: S+1**

 **Concussive Damage: S+1**

This confused Gobuto somewhat. Where did this come from? By the looks of it, it had been here for quite some time.

Shrugging, Gobuto ate the dagger, but didn't get any skills. Only to be expected from a weapon in such poor condition, he supposed.

"Hey there young'un." the quivery voice of the ancient goblin came from the cave nearby as he tottered out, "What're you doing here?"

 **Gobujiji - Level 20**

As Naruto scanned the level he saw floating above the old goblin, he had to admit that he was surprised at him having such a low level, considering how old the goblin elder seemed to be.

"Gobujiji…I was just exploring the cave." Gobuto replied, "What are you doing here?"

"Relaxin'." the old goblin replied, "Got some human women back here…ah, it really can't be beaten, the touch of human women."

"Aren't there female goblins though?" Gobuto pointed out, disturbed by the idea of forcibly taking women.

"Yeas indeed!" the old goblin cackled, "But it is hard, very hard indeed for a male goblin and a female goblin to have runts. With human women, it's as easy as bim-bam, thank-you-ma'am. Best part is, it only takes twenty days for a human woman to carry a goblin to full term, compared to twenty-five days for a goblin female."

"What if a goblin female carries the child of a human male?" Gobuto could help but ask.

"Same as the human women carrying goblin children." the old goblin said, "It ain't done often on account of males bein' more trouble than they're worth. Those that ain't a lot of trouble, ain't worth the girls breedin' with 'em though."

This made sense to Gobuto, but he had a few more things to ask.

"Where did the human women come from, Gobujiji?" he asked.

"Adventurers that the last generation captured." Gobujiji replied, "They took them prisoner and most of the good armour and equipment when they went pillaging for more women and equipment."

"Can I have a look at what's left?" Gobuto asked eagerly.

"Hah! Young goblins shouldn't get ahead of themselves!" the old one scoffed, before he looked thoughtful, "Weeelllll…I _could_ let ya look at the stuff…if ya bring me some Horned Rabbit Meat. A whole rabbit. Do that, and you can take yer pick of what's left. How does that grab ya, youngster?"

 **Quest Created!**

 **Bribing the Old-timer: Gobujiji is reluctant to show you the pile of weapons and other items left over from the ransacking the previous generation left behind, but will let you if you provide him with a whole Horned Rabbit, minus the horn.**

 **Quest Reward: Access to the Stash, +200 EXP, +10 SP, +50 Reputation with Gobujiji.**

 **Accept?**

 **Y/N**

Hitting 'Y', Gobuto nodded to the old goblin. "Will sometime today be alright?"

"Hah! If ya can get one today, I'll even show ya the way to the DEEP cave, where no goblin has ever returned from after entering!" Gobujiji scoffed.

Gobuto grinned. "I'll hold ya to that, Gobujiji!"

 _Later_

 _Forest_

Once again, Gobuto had dragged Goburyū out to help with the hunting. Not that the other goblin was complaining. Apparently most goblins never ate Horned Rabbit meat as they kept being impaled by the horn.

' _Idiots. Goblins have to be idiots._ ' Gobuto thought as he ruminated on this fact. It didn't take a genius to figure out that a _Horned Rabbit_ attacked with its _horn_ , so how can these people, err goblins, not figure out that they needed to dodge the damn charge?

Even he hadn't been that stupid as a Genin…he hoped.

He had distributed his Attribute points just before leaving on the **[Hunt the Wabbits]** quest, putting two into Strength, two into Toughness and one into Dexterity. The mental stats could wait until he was strong enough to relax a little.

"Gobuto, can we eat?" Goburyū asked.

"Once we find prey, Goburyū." he replied, "Let's try that area from yesterday. Hopefully it won't take long."

And, funnily enough, he was right. No sooner had they reached the area where he had killed the second Horned Rabbit than another one appeared and was quickly smashed by Goburyū's club.

{ **[Horned Rabbit] has been defeated!**

 **Gobuto receives 20 EXP and [Rabbit Horn]!**

 **Goburyū receives 20 EXP!** }

Before Gobuto could do anything, Goburyū devoured the entire thing. He must have been really hungry.

In irritation, as Gobuto was just as hungry, he beat the crap out of his companion and lectured him about the importance of hierarchy…in other words, no stealing prey before it can be divided between them.

{ **Goburyū has become your minion!** }

Well, that's all to the good. Moving on…

Once Goburyū recovered from Gobuto's 'lesson', the two moved along and started to hunt the second rabbit of the day. This was useful, as it allowed Gobuto some time to think about what he should do to improve the conditions of his tribe.

They were, quite frankly, barely surviving. Eating caterpillars, fruit and lichen because they were too stupid to hunt Horned Rabbits, which were the weakest prey in the entire forest, wearing nothing but loincloths (and breastbands in the case of the females) and wielding no weapons more powerful than wooden clubs!

Time to change that…starting with getting access to that stash of weapons.

"Gobuto, look!" Goburyū pointed with his club at two Horned Rabbits.

"Think you can handle one while I deal with the other?" Gobuto asked with a grin.

"Yeah!" Goburyū replied with a wave of his club.

Bringing out both of the [Rabbit Horns], Gobuto charged at one of the Horned Rabbits, making it leap away from its companion in fright, as Goburyū slammed his club down between him an the other rabbit.

Gobuto had become quite adept at predicting the attack pattern of these odd rabbits. Once they dodged an attack from him, they would stare at him before tensing and charging forwards, head lowered and ready to impale him.

The counter was to dodge to the side as soon as it moved and lowered its head to charge. That way you could attack it when it was running past you…like so.

Gobuto shoved both of the improvised weapons into the throat of the rabbit, making blood gush out like a fountain. Flopping to the ground, the Horned Rabbit twitched for a moment before dying.

Over with Goburyū, he had smashed the head of his opponent with one strike from his club.

{ **Two Horned Rabbits have been defeated!**

 **Gobuto earns forty EXP and two [Rabbit Horns]!**

 **Goburyū earns forty EXP!** }

 **Quest Complete!**

 **Daily Quest: Hunt the Wabbit: Complete!**

 **Quest Reward: +100 EXP, 10 SP.**

Gobuto still wasn't certain exactly what the SP was for. It didn't have anything to do with his Attributes; he had tried and gotten an [Invalid] Warning.

Putting it to the back of his mind, Gobuto devoured the Horned Rabbit that Goburyū had killed, reasoning that Gobujiji had said he wanted a whole one.

{ **As of a result of devouring [Horned Rabbit] meat, the skill [Lesser Agility Boost] has been gained!** }

 **[Lesser Agility Boost] (Level 1, 00.00)**

 **Horned Rabbits are infamous for their speed and dodging prowess…at least compared to goblins, anyway.**

 **\- Passively increases Dexterity by 1.**

{ **You have acquired all the skills possible from [Horned Rabbits]! You gain 100 EXP!** }

That was pretty damn cool. What was really interesting to Gobuto was that there was a limit to what skills each animal could give him.

"Oi!" Gobuto whacked Goburyū over his head before he could grab the last rabbit, "That's for Gobujiji!"

"But I'm still hungry~!" Goburyū whined.

"Then hunt!" Gobuto barked, "I caught this one to give to Gobujiji. You can hunt the Horned Rabbits yourself now, remember?"

A figurative light bulb lit up over the dimmer goblin's head. "Oh yeah!"

"Be back before dark." Gobuto cautioned his greedy companion, "Gobujiji said that really strong monsters come out after dark and attack us goblins on sight."

"R-Right." Goburyū nodded.

Dubiously, Gobuto threw the Horned Rabbit carcass over his shoulder and headed back to the cave. He now had his ticket to getting access to the stash of weapons, which was all to the good.

He had the feeling he'd need them.

Back at the cave, Gobuto was gawked at by all and sundry as he sauntered in and deposited the Horned Rabbit in front of Gobujiji, who had eyes as wide as dinner plates as he looked between the rabbit and the smug-looking Gobuto.

"Y-You…how…that…" the old Goblin stammered.

"One Horned Rabbit, as agreed." Gobuto said with a smirk.

This jolted Gobujiji out of his stupefaction. He barked out a laugh. "Hah! Indeed it is lad! Well, I'm a goblin of my word. Let me eat and I'll take ya to the stash."

 **Quest Complete!**

 **Bribing the Old-timer: You have successfully brought Gobujiji an entire Horned Rabbit as a bribe and he will now let you at the stash of weapons left by the last generation of goblins!**

 **Quest Reward: Access to the stash, +200 EXP, +10 SP, +50 Reputation with Gobujiji.**

 **Congratulations! You have levelled up! LV2 - LV3!**

 **You have five attribute points to spend.**

 **You Gain 10 SP.**

 **You have enough Skill Point to purchase a skill! Please think [Skill Purchase] to open the appropriate screen!**

' _Holy…so THAT'S what SP is for!_ ' Gobuto though in surprise, ' _So you can_ buy _skills as well as earn them with [Gluttony]!_ '

Leaving Gobujiji alone to eat, Gobuto went over to the wall and sat down before opening the [Skill Purchase] screen.

 **Welcome to the skill purchase window! Here you can exchange your accumulated SP for skills. It should be noted that the more powerful the skill, the more SP it will cost and that all of them are either at Level 1 or Level Max.**

 **Additionally, you can browse the skills outside of your means for future purchasing.**

 **Available SP: 50**

 **Skills Available for 50 SP: - [Presence Perception]**

 **\- [Lesser-Improved Slashing Power]**

 **\- [Evasion]**

 **\- [Endurance]**

 **\- [Lesser Life Increase]**

 **\- [Luck Up]**

 **\- [Humanbane]**

 **\- [Lesser-Improved Jumping Power]**

 **\- [Lesser Shadow Magic]**

 **\- [Rest]**

 **\- [Force of Will]**

…dear sweet Kami…

Gobuto shook his head and focussed. There would be time to be amazed at this later. Now he had to focus on choosing one of these skills. Most of the effects of the skills were self-explanatory, but a few were a puzzle. He reached out and touched [Humanbane].

 **[Humanbane]**

 **This skill makes you cause fear in all humans, as well as letting you inflict more damage on them.**

 **Do you wish to purchase this skill?**

 **Y/N**

Nice, but he wasn't certain that humans were the enemy here. No.

 **[Lesser Shadow Magic]**

 **A weaker form of shadow magic that allows one to manipulate the shadows within a limited distance. Mastery of this art unlocks [Shadow Magic].**

 **Do you wish to purchase this Skill?**

 **Y/N**

Interesting. He'd always wondered what it was like to control shadows like the Nara Clan did. But not yet.

 **[Rest]**

 **Allows you to quickly regenerate your MP while asleep.**

 **Do you wish to purchase this skill?**

 **Y/N**

Useless until he had a skill that used MP.

 **[Force of Will]**

 **An indomitable will can allow someone to overcome the toughest situations, as well as aid greatly in persuading someone to do something. In times of crisis, the user of this skill can occasionally accomplish what would seem to be the impossible.**

 **Do you wish to purchase this skill?**

 **Y/N**

OK…this looked promising.

After going up and down the list, [Force of Will] seemed to be the best one to take. For one, it would be useful in becoming the new leader of the goblins. For another, it was something he had used a lot in his past life.

…well, it was more like 'force of personality and loud voice', but whatever.

He hit yes.

 **Congratulations! You have bought the skill [Force of Will]!**

 **[Force of Will] (Passive) (LVMAX)**

 **The ability to exert your will over your body, even in ferocious pain, is not a common ability. Neither is the ability to project your will through your words. This skill lets you do both.**

 **\- Immune to [Skill Disruption] and [Skill Interrupt].**

 **\- +25% Chance of success during [Persuade] or [Intimidate] verbal actions.**

 **\- 5% chance of performing a [Heroic Action] if HP is below 30%.**

' _Whoa…this skill rocks._ ' Gobuto thought with a smirk, ' _Shame it seems to take forever to gather SP._ '

"Hoi, youngster!" Gobujiji called, "Ready for your tour?"

"You bet I am!" Gobuto smirked as he stood up.

 **OGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNK**

 **Next Chapter: Loot and Racing to the Rescue**

 **OGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNK**


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm a Goblin…" - Regular Speech.

'… _So what?_ ' - Thoughts.

{ **Is the Title** } - Voice of Heaven Announcement.

 **Chapter 3: Loot and Racing to the Rescue**

Gobuto followed Gobujiji into the deeper area of the cave, excited to finally get his hands on something approaching proper weaponry. Ok, so it was only the…fifth? Yeah, fifth day of his reincarnated life, but after sixty or so years of being an active Shinobi, having piss poor improvised weapons in an area where he might be attacked and killed was making his paranoia go off like no one's business.

' _Calm down, damn it._ ' he told himself, ' _Gobujiji said that the last generation went through it and took the best weapons and armour for themselves, but hey, they were ordinary goblins. They probably ignored anything that wasn't a weapon or piece of armour though, so I'll get some accessories or something at least._ '

He dimly recalled from his few games with his grandkids that rings and necklaces were usually imbued with protective or stat-raising magic.

"Youngster! Over here!" Gobujiji called and Gobuto hurried to catch up. The old goblin was standing outside a seemingly ordinary wall. As soon as Gobuto reached him, Gobujiji tapped the wall with his cane and it…faded away.

"How…?" Gobuto's question was cut off as he caught sight of the large stack of bags, weapons and armour on the other side.

"A Hobgoblin Mage enchanted this wall years ago. She died not long after." Gobujiji replied gruffly, "Its location is passed down from elder goblin to elder goblin and known to precious few other than them. Congratulations on wiggling it out of me, youngster."

Evidently, being called 'youngster' was a promotion from being called 'young'un', so Gobuto took it as such.

"This is…a bit more than I was expecting." Gobuto managed.

"Heh…you're lookin' at forty seasons' worth of lootin' in one place." Gobujiji cackled, "Quite a few of the weapons yer lookin' at can't be wielded by goblins or even Hobgoblins as they're too darned heavy! Like that sword over there!"

Looking at the weapon in question, Gobuto didn't doubt it. The weapon was a massive sword taller than he had been as a human at full growth and the blade was as wide as a kunai was long and twice as thick. The metal was black and seemed to seethe with malevolence.

He had to know what that was.

 **[Demonic Sword of Hellish Torment]**

 **Mastercrafted Demon Great Sword**

 **Forged in the Knar Zarroth fortress by the Demon Master Blacksmith Wulfar Rogueblade, this sword is infamous for being wielded by Harkin the Conqueror, a demon who desired to rule the mortal world. Every cut of this blade fills the soul of the victim with unbelievable pain that leaves them helpless.**

 **Further information blocked by unknown Aura!**

{ **[Appraise Weapons] has levelled up! LV1-LV2!** }

Gobuto made a note to get rid of that sword at the first opportunity. It was _way_ too evil to risk having around.

"So are there any limits to what I can take?" he asked the old goblin.

"Nobody can take more than three items outta the room at once." Gobujiji replied, "Parta the magic that the mage put in, ta slow down looters. And the door closes after a being steps out and can't be opened until the next day, so choose wisely."

Right.

There were a lot of things to pick and choose from; some just bags full of scrolls, while others were useless ornamental daggers Gobuto knew would be about as useful as a hangnail.

He found his first choice in a plain-looking dagger of some sort. It was nothing special to look at with a black sheath, and plain steel crossguard with an engraved bird of some kind on both sides.

 **[Raven Armoury Dirk]**

 **Long Dagger**

 **A long-bladed dagger forged by the best armoury in the Kingdom of New Felicia. Well maintained and unused since its owner was killed, this is an excellent supplementary weapon for those who stab more than cut.**

 **Durability: 30/30**

 **Slashing Damage: SX2**

 **Piercing Damage: SX2.5**

 **Concussive Damage: S**

One down. He found a black leather belt that looked as if it went through the rings in the sheath meant for such a thing. After consulting with Gobujiji, this would make it count as just one item as they were a set.

All of the helmets were too big for him, not to mention too heavy. After closely looking over the armour multiple times, he was rather pleased to discover a new skill.

{ **As a result of specific repeated actions, the skill [Appraise Armour] was created!** }

 **[Appraise Armour] (Level 1, 00.00)**

 **Allows the user to inspect the stats of any armour. Initial information scanty, but improves with higher levels.**

 **Current Information Displayed: Armour Name, Durability, Description and Armour Value.**

Useful for this particular activity. He scanned the equipment and spotted a cuirass that was about his size. It was a bit dinged up, but looked to be still in good condition. He [Appraised] it.

 **[Halfling's Protective Cuirass]**

 **Chest Armour**

 **A basic piece of equipment for those Halflings that are warriors. This chestplate, including slight protection at the shoulders and a backplate, is enchanted by [Protection Magic] and confers a number of minor, low-level status protections and a minor health boost.**

 **Durability: 25/30**

 **Armour Protection: 15 on all covered locations.**

Score.

"Hey Gobujiji!" he called, "Why didn't this one get taken?"

The old goblin hobbled over and peered at the chestplate for a moment. "Ah, that 'un. The one who wore it was a Halfling, one of those short fat little men. They ain't warriors, so none of the generation before yours wanted the thing."

"Their loss. It's a good piece of armour." Gobuto said as he shrugged it on, "Ah! Cold!"

"Yeah, metal on skin when it's cold is usually a bad idea." Gobujiji said helpfully, "Grab the Halfling's shirt…there! It should count as one piece for the spell."

"How'd this guy die if the armour hasn't any holes in it?" Gobuto asked as he took the armour off, grabbed the shirt and pulled it on before donning the armour once again.

"Magic arrow took his head off!" Gobujiji cackled, "Poor bastard didn't have a chance!"

"I'll bet." Gobuto muttered.

Weapon and armour secured, he looked for the trousers that the Halfling had worn, but evidently, contempt for a non-warrior only extended so far as they were nowhere to be seen, which was a pain.

A certain backpack caught his eye. It was small, but had a feeling of power to it. It was quite striking and had well embroidered moons and stars along the seams. He [Appraised] it.

 **[Wizard's Bag of Carrying]**

 **Bag**

 **A minor magical item for a wizard that allows the carrier to carry up to fifty separate items, regardless of size (within a certain limit), inside it with no discernable weight difference between it being empty or full.**

Jackpot. He grabbed it and had a look inside. Full to the brim with bottles, wands and other weird stuff.

Gobuto smirked as he closed the flap, did it up and threw it over his back.

"Done already?" Gobujiji raised a wispy eyebrow at him, "You sure? You won't be able to come back until tomorrow."

"I'm sure, Gobujiji." Gobuto nodded.

"Very well. Let's see if the magic agrees with your choices." the old goblin said and stepped back.

Nervously, Gobuto stepped through the doorway and a flash of blue light passed over him before fading.

"Looks like you chose well." the old goblin nodded, "Step lively now…I still have to show you your bonus prize….the DEEP caves."

As Gobuto stepped away from the storehouse, the air shimmered and the illusion of a cave wall reappeared. Gobuto had to admit, he had seen A-Rank Genjutsu that were less realistic than that.

"So how do I open that?" he asked.

"I'll show you tomorrow." Gobujiji replied as he led Gobuto off down a passage that seemed to draw in the shadows.

"This whole hill used to be a goblin castle hundreds of years back." Gobujiji said as he hobbled along, "Then a powerful Vampire Lord overran us and his second in command, a powerful Spell Lord, sunk the remains of the castle into the ground using powerful earth magic. The then-leader of the goblins led his men into the bowls of his once proud castle to raise it…but something, no one knows what, stopped him. Ever since, the best and bravest of each generation have tried to undo the spell, but none have ever emerged once they go down…there."

Gobujiji stopped and pointed at what was unmistakably the turret of a castle. The stones around the small window had been crudely smashed away, leaving an opening wide enough for a human-sized being to pass through. Stairs dropped off into the darkness not far away.

' _No wonder no one's returned._ ' Gobuto thought with a frown, ' _All a defender or monster or…whatever is down there…has to do is guard the base of the tower and they have a murder pocket ready-made to eliminate intruders who came this way._ '

"Intimidating, isn't it?" Gobujiji said solemnly, "Who knows how many of our kin have passed down this stairway to never return? Well, the way is open for you, should you ever wish to attempt it."

"Not until I become a Hobgoblin, at least." Gobuto said dryly, "Speaking of…how does evolution work?"

"Ah, you've heard about that, eh?" the old goblin grinned as he turned around, "It's quite simple, really. A goblin has to gain experience by hunting creatures, defeating enemies and so on. Once a sufficient amount of experience has been accrued, an amount that varies depending on the goblin, evolution is possible. Normally, goblins just evolve into your bog-standard Hobgoblin, but not always. In rare cases Goblin Mages appear and, even rarer, goblins blessed by the gods."

"Gods?" Gobuto asked skeptically. Visions of Mōryō, Pain and the Reibi flashed through his mind.

"The gods do exist, youngster." Gobujiji admonished him, "Why, the leader of this group two generations ago had the [Divine Protection of the Water God]. He was blue coloured, which is how I knew of it."

"Wait…so blessed Hobgoblins have different skin colours?" Gobuto asked.

"A greatly different skin tone." the old Goblin corrected him, "Hobgoblin Mages, priests and others are merely a darker shade of green. Black, red, blue, yellow…all of these indicate the blessing of one of the many gods and goddesses."

Huh…who knew? Actual gods.

Later…

Gobuto looked at his status screen in satisfaction.

 **Name: Gobuto**

 **Level: 3**

 **To Next Level: 535 EXP**

 **Race: Goblin**

 **Job: None**

 **HP: 200/200**

 **MP: [Locked]**

 **Strength: 13**

 **Toughness: 13**

 **Dexterity: 13**

 **Initiative: 10**

 **Wisdom: 11**

 **Leadership: [Locked]**

 **Equipment: Head: None**

 **Torso: [Halfling's Protective Cuirass]**

 **Arms: None**

 **Undergarments: Filthy Loincloth**

 **Legs: None**

 **Feet: None**

 **R. Hand: None**

 **L. Hand: None**

 **Weapon: [Raven Armoury Dirk]**

 **Items: [Wizard's Bag of Carrying]**

 **Attribute Points: 5**

 **Skill Points: 10**

He was fairly well equipped, but his stats could use some work. Thankfully, he had some AP to sort that out.

Deciding that if he wanted to hunt bigger and badder enemies, he would need to be faster, Gobuto added three of his AP to Dexterity, bringing that stat up to 16, and then splitting the last two between Strength and Toughness, bringing them to 14 each.

That taken care of, he chomped down one of the [Rabbit Horns] as he had a better weapon to use in its place and was pleasantly surprised to see **[Lesser Increased Piercing Power]** go up a level. Therefore, you could continue to eat the [Horned Rabbits] and level your skill up that way, in addition to getting EXP from combat. Useful information for future hunts.

Speaking of hunts…

"Hey, Goburimi!" He called to a female goblin that he had seen Goburyū talking to a couple of times, "Is Goburyū back?"

The brown-haired goblin shook her head. "No, he isn't. Wasn't he with you?"

"He wanted to keep hunting." Gobuto replied with a frown, "I told him to be back before it got dark, but…"

The sun was already setting. Goburyū would be dead meat once it fully set. The idiot probably hadn't paid attention to the sun in order to stuff his gullet.

"Damn it to hell." Gobuto growled as he threw the bag at his side over his back, "I'll go find the moron."

"But…the sun's going down!" Goburimi said in fright.

"He was on my team. He's my responsibility." Gobuto shot back, "I'll be giving the idiot a talking to after this."

With that, the reincarnated goblin charged out into the night. A screen popped up in front of him.

 **Quest Alert!**

 **Rescue the Greedy Goblin: Goburyū, your partner, has let greed overcome him and stayed out far too late hunting Horned Rabbits. Rescue him from whatever danger he is in and make it safely back to the cave.**

 **Quest Reward: Save Goburyū, +200 EXP, +30 SP, +1 AP**

 **Quest Failure: Death**

 **Accept?**

 **Y/N**

Stabbing 'Y', Gobuto headed for where he had left Goburyū earlier that day. The greedy goblin was smart enough to stick to a hunting ground he knew well…at least, Gobuto _hoped_ that the other Goblin was smart enough to do that.

A cry in the night made him jerk his head towards the source. It was Goburyū, and he sounded terrified. Gobuto automatically adjusted course and headed towards where his partner was shrieking in terror.

"Oh hell." he muttered as he looked around a tree at the scene in the clearing ahead of him. Goburyū was backing away from a large humanoid…thing. It was about a head taller than the average human, with flabby skin and the head of a pig. It was wearing heavy armour of some kind strapped haphazardly to its body, and had a large curved sword clutched in one hand.

 **Outcast Orc - Level 5**

An Orc? What the heck was one of those? Gobuto vaguely recalled that **[Instinctive Combatant]** was a Racial Skill of both Goblins and Orcs, but hadn't thought about what an orc was. Evidently it was a pig thing…that reeked like burned fat and sweat.

Shaking his head, Gobuto got his head back in the game. Goburyū was in trouble and he had to save his useless carcass. Examining the orc more closely, he saw signs of weakness. It had clearly lost a lot of weight in a short period of time and its piggy face was drawn and hollow looking.

' _It's starving._ ' Gobuto realised, ' _It probably hasn't had much in the way of food for days. Looks like raw side of Goburyū is on its menu for tonight. Time to turn the tables…_ '

Moving quietly around the clearing, he examined the armour that the Orc wore, very thankful for the [Night Vision] skill that was common to his species. Orcs didn't have it, so how had Goburyū not seen the big monster before it had gotten too close to flee from?

Spotting the remains of a half-eaten [Horned Rabbit] nearby, he knew why; Goburyū had been too busy stuffing his face to notice. Typical.

Anyway, the armour wasn't a single suit of armour like Gobuto had first assumed. It was numerous pieces of varying armour crudely held together by rope, chains and even a few leather belts, leaving plenty of openings for thin stabbing weapons, especially on the back of the orc.

Idea.

Gobuto drew his dirk silently and crept forwards once he had moved to the back of the orc. Goburyū was staggering backwards, unable to look away from the thing that was going to kill him, which was good, because knowing the other goblin, if he spotted Gobuto he'd make a ruckus and that would make things harder for him.

Slowly, the orc oinked something in its language and raised its sword, ready to deliver the killing blow to Goburyū.

Gobuto acted then.

He exploded into motion a few steps behind the orc, targeting one area that was exposed in particular, the area where, on a human, the kidneys would be located.

With a shout, Gobuto slammed the blade up to the hilt in the gap between the armour plates, making the orc squeal and writhe in pain. Gobuto held on to the orc with one hand as he withdrew the dirk and started to clamber up.

In its panic, the orc dropped its sword and tried to reach over its back to grab Gobuto with both hands. Gobuto stabbed them with his dirk whenever they got too close before he was finally within reach of the orc's neck.

He drove the dirk into the orc's throat from the side and ripped it through the front of its throat in a fountain of blood. Unable to cry out with its voice box destroyed, the orc didn't make a sound as it sank to its knees, then collapsed to the ground entirely, throwing Gobuto to the ground in front of it.

{ **Outcast Orc defeated!**

 **Gobuto gains 200 EXP!** }

A couple of other screens appeared, but Gobuto ignored them as he had more important things to deal with.

"G-Gobuto?" Goburyū looked at him in disbelief.

"Yo." Gobuto waved at his hunting partner, "What did I tell you about getting back before dark?"

"Sorry…" the other goblin looked down in shame.

"We'll talk later. Finish your Horned Rabbit and get ready to help me get this orc back to the cave." Gobuto ordered.

While Goburyū finished off his last prey, Gobuto grabbed the orc's sword and cut off its head with it. It wasn't easy due to the size of the blade, but he managed it. He then devoured the sword, as there was no sheath and he couldn't help Goburyū carry the corpse back AND carry the sword.

{ **As a result of devouring [Rusty Steel Scimitar], you have gained the Skill [Lesser-Improved Slashing Power]!** }

 **[Lesser-Improved Slashing Power] (Level 1, 00.00)**

 **Grants a bonus to all slashing attacks made with bladed weapons capable of slashing.**

 **Current Bonus: +1**

Good, but not really relevant right now.

"Goburyū, you take the legs." Gobuto ordered, "I'll take the arms. Hurry! The sun's almost fully set!"

"Wh-why do we have to take this back?!" Goburyū gasped as he hefted the legs.

"Because there's a food shortage in the cave, idiot!" Gobuto snapped back, "Without food to tide them over, half of the goblins in our generation will starve to death before the raiding party returns. If we ration this bastard, it'll last those who fail at hunting for a week or so."

"Oh." Goburyū looked as if he couldn't see the point.

"We need the numbers." Gobuto explained impatiently as he tied the head to the body with a leather belt, "If there's one orc around here, there's probably more. I killed this one so easily because it was starving and I had the element of surprise. A fully armed party of orcs could go through our entire cave full of goblins easily, so we have to get stronger and keep as many of our brethren alive as possible. Now let's go!"

With grunts from both Goblins and the occasional whine from Goburyū, they half dragged, half carried the corpse of the orc back to the cave. On the way back, they almost got caught by a patrol of wolf-like humanoids that Gobuto identified as Kobolds, beastmen of some sort.

When they got in sight of the cave, Gobuto was relieved. Once they were inside, he beat the crap out of Goburyū again and informed him he wasn't allowed to hunt solo again.

"Youngster…how'd you kill it?" Gobujiji asked in slight awe.

"I got lucky." Gobuto admitted, "The stupid thing was so focused on Goburyū that I was able to sneak behind it and stab it in the back. Then I stabbed its throat and it died. Thing is, I don't know much about orcs. Are they often alone?"

"No, this one musta been an outcast from its herd." Gobujiji replied with a frown, "They are usually very hard to catch alone as they always move in groups of at least three. You were lucky to only have one to deal with, and a starving one at that. Well done for grabbing the body for food youngster. That'll last us quite some time!"

 **Quest Complete!**

 **Rescue the Greedy Goblin: You have successfully rescued Goburyū from the clutches of the orc and safely escorted him back to the cave!**

 **Quest Reward: Saved Goburyū, +200 EXP, +30 SP, +1 AP**

 **Bonus: Brought back Orc Corpse: 150 EXP, +20 SP**

 **{Congratulations! You have levelled up! LV3-LV4!**

 **You have five Attribute Points to spend!**

 **You gain 10 SP!}**

A smirk adorned Gobuto's face for a moment before he regained control of himself. Having eaten enough to fill himself earlier on that day, he was surprised to find himself hungry again. Shrugging, he ate some of the orc to stop his stomach complaining.

{ **As a result of devouring some [Outcast Orc] meat, you have acquired the Skill [Stench]!** }

What the hell?!

 **[Stench] (Level 1, 00.00)**

 **Orcs are known for their pungent odor and now you can mimic them!**

 **\- Allows you to expel the scent of an orc that will fool any common orc soldier.**

' _This is the most useless skill ever._ ' Gobuto thought with a twitch in one eye. Without an illusion or transformation skill, this would only be useful when running away from orcs, rather than infiltrating an orc camp.

He had a look at the other two screens that he had been ignoring until now and was pleasantly surprised by what they contained.

{ **As a result of repeated actions, the Skill [Silent Movement] has been acquired!** }

 **[Silent Movement] (Level 1, 00.00)**

 **The ability to move quietly, not allowing a single sound out that might give away your presence. This can be accomplished by a variety of methods, such as synchronizing your breathing with another person's, avoiding stepping on things that would cause a noise if stepped upon, and so on.**

 **\- When activated, reduces sound made by the user and his/her equipment by 25%.**

 **\- While active, movement speed reduced by 50%. Running Prohibited.**

That was useful. As a former Shinobi, he knew the advantages of being able to move silently, although it was more like 'Move Quietly' right now.

{ **As a result of a specific action, the skill [Backstab] has been acquired!** }

 **[Backstab] (Level 1, 00.00)**

 **Attacking someone from behind is generally seen as cowardly and dishonourable. For those who care not for such things, however, it is also a highly effective method of attack, especially on an unsuspecting target.**

 **\- Grants a bonus to any attack made at the rear of an opponent. Current Bonus: +5.**

 **\- Grants a further bonus if the target us unaware of your presence of +5.**

Gobuto was of two minds here. He was a former Shinobi, so things like fair and square fighting had been beaten out of him long ago, but he despised being called a coward.

 **{As a result of an action common in your past life, you have earned the [Titles] of [Reincarnator] and [Former Shinobi]!}**

Intrigued, he looked up the titles to see what they could do.

 **[Reincarnator]: You have been reborn in this world with the memories of your past life. You cannot use any special skills that you once possessed, but any physical skills that you once used can be recreated when you have this title equipped.**

 **[Former Shinobi]: In your past life, you were a ninja, a powerful one at that. Although magic and chakra are incompatible, you can still reap benefits from that when you have this title equipped. You gain half again the amount of EXP for all dagger-type weapons and skills, as well as +50% damage with Wind Magic.**

Not bad.

Shrugging, he closed the screens, rifled through his bag and pulled out a cloth. After double-checking it with [Appraise Item], he used it to clean his dirk, which he had left in the body of the orc and had just pulled out a moment ago.

' _Time for some sleep._ ' he decided.

 **OGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNK**

 **Next Chapter: Hunting Bigger Game**

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	4. Chapter 4

"I'm a Goblin…" - Regular Speech.

'… _So what?_ ' - Thoughts.

{ **Is the Title** } - Voice of Heaven Announcement.

 **Chapter 4: Hunting Bigger Game**

 _The Next Day_

{ **You have survived another Day! You gain 10 EXP!** }

Gobuto stretched as he rolled out of his filthy blankets. Yesterday had been irritating thanks to his companion Goburyū staying out almost until nightfall, meaning he had had to rush to the rescue.

As he put on the armour and dirk that he had taken from the storehouse yesterday, Gobuto considered what should be done today. First, he had to do something about Goburyū. The idiot was now banned from solo hunting due to his stupidity, but he did still have to eat if Gobuto couldn't go with him for some reason.

' _Time to make a three man cell again._ ' he thought nostalgically.

The main question was who to ask? The logical person would be Goburimi, as she had a crush on or at least liked, Goburyū, but goblins were infamous for being cowardly and backstabbing, so he was leery about letting two goblins that got on well with each other team up with him.

"Youngster!" Gobujiji called as he tottered towards Gobuto on his cane, "Need yer help."

"What's up, Gobujiji?" Gobuto replied as he picked up his bag.

"Need ya ta carry that orc's armour to the storeroom." the old goblin replied, "These old bones aren't up to heaving that much metal anymore."

 **Quest Alert!**

 **Bellboy Goblin: Gobujiji has asked you to carry the piecemeal armour worn by the Stray Orc to the storeroom. Do it and claim your reward.**

 **Quest Reward: +100 EXP, +50 Reputation with Gobujiji, Daily Access to the Storehouse.**

 **Quest Failure: Daily Access to the Storehouse**

 **Accept?**

 **Y/N**

This was a no-brainer. More EXP, more respect from the old Goblin AND getting access to the storehouse? Only a fool would say no.

"Sure thing, Gobujiji." he said as he hit the 'Y' button, "It'll take a couple of trips though…that armour is heavy."

"Just stack it outside the door until you're ready to toss 'em in." Gobujiji replied with the wave of one wrinkled hand, "Thing about the storeroom is that the more you put in, the more ya can take out. Put two things in and you can take three plus two items out of the room."

"Huh…a reward-based system." Gobuto commented, "That Hobgoblin Mage must have been talented."

"That she was." Gobujiji cackled, "This was hundreds of years ago, of course. I'm the oldest goblin here and I'm only twenty years old!"

"EHHH!?" Gobuto exclaimed, "Twenty years old and you're a geezer?!"

"Who's a geezer, ya runt?!" Gobujiji whacked him over the head with his cane irritably.

 **-20 HP!**

"OW!"

"Tch. Yes, we goblins aren't long lived." the old goblin grumbled, "I am the only one of my generation left; the rest died in battle or of old age before they could evolve."

"Wait, so you never evolved? Didn't you try?" Gobuto asked in surprise.

"Sure I did. I was a level one-hundred goblin ten years ago." Gobujiji replied, "That's the way of things; some creatures just ain't the evolving sort. I doubt you'll have that problem though. I can sense that ya have a great deal of potential in ya, so ya won't end up as an 'elite goblin' like me."

Nodding, Gobuto jogged off to the orc corpse, which was being eyed greedily by several goblins.

"Oi! This is only to be used if you fail to get anything to eat when you hunt!" Gobuto growled at the lurking goblins.

"But…!" one of them whined.

"Those who do not at least _try_ to hunt don't eat!" Gobuto declared, "Listen up! This is _one_ orc, get it? If you all eat it, it won't last a day. If -and _only_ if! - you fail to find anything during a hunt, you can eat it! In addition, because this bastard's herd might be nearby, you are all to hunt in groups of at least three!"

Grumbling grew started up from the surrounding goblins before a glare from Gobuto silenced them.

"I'm serious here! Orcs are stupid, but one-on-one, they can easily kill a goblin." Gobuto barked out, "I got lucky because I was able to sneak behind it and land critical strikes to it while it was focused on Goburyū!"

The goblins dispersed with a grumble. Gobuto shrugged. He'd tried. The ones who survived would doubtless quickly come to see things from his point of view.

Turning his attention to the armour, Gobuto quickly stripped the orc of it and scanned it with [Analyse Armour].

 **[Shoddy Piecemeal Heavy Armour]**

 **Poor Quality Heavy Armour**

 **Made from various pieces of various types of armour and held together by rusted chains, belts and rope, this armour offers some protection to the torso and the arms, but is very vulnerable to piercing attacks in the places where the plates do not meet.**

 **Armour Protection: 55 on all covered locations (Against Piercing Attacks, certain areas have an armour rating of 0).**

 **Durability: 10/50**

"Jeez, this is piss-poor armour." Gobuto muttered as he jogged back and forth between the storeroom and the corpse once he had undone most of the ropes and belts that held the armour together and sorted it into manageable piles, "Might as well be wearing cardboard."

Finally, he was done carrying it to outside the storeroom. He had exercised so much that he had gained another point in Strength and Toughness.

"Ah, brought it all already?" Gobujiji hobbled up, "You work fast, Youngster."

"Not like I have anything else to do." Gobuto replied with a shrug.

"True." the old goblin allowed, "I heard what you told th' others. Good idea, but it'll take someone dying ta get 'em ta do it. Meh, goblins are stubborn that way. Anyhow, if ya want ta get into the storeroom in the future, just tap here."

Gobujiji reached out with his cane and tapped a particular stone on the wall sharply. Next to it, the storeroom entrance fizzled open with barely a hiss. Gobuto memorised the particular stone rather easily. He had been a shinobi in his last life after all, and such a thing was less than child's play for him.

"Now, toss in the armour." Gobujiji instructed him, so he did so.

A film across the doorway that had been invisible before now flickered into visibility as the armour passed through it. In a flash, it turned blue.

"That means ya can take out four items in total." Gobujiji informed Gobuto, "Blue means four, red means five and yellow is for six and up."

"Got it." Gobuto nodded, "Gobujiji, how likely is it that that stray orc's herd is nearby, do you think?"

The old goblin hummed for a moment. "I wouldn't say it's likely. The orc was clearly starving and hadn't eaten more than the bare minimum for at least a few weeks. Still, being cautious isn't a bad idea."

"Right." Gobuto said as he advanced into the room, once more looking for something he could use. He'd checked the inside of his [Wizard's Bag of Carrying] last night, and it was full of low-level HP and MP potions and, for some odd reason, plain cloth handkerchiefs. Maybe that wizard had had bad allergies?

Right now, he was looking for trousers of some description, because he was getting tired of his stupid filthy loincloth. It stank and looked disgusting. Plus it had the irritating effect of lowering his defence by 1.

"Hello…what do we have here?" he muttered as he picked a pair of trousers that looked to be about his size.

 **[Dwarven Mining Trousers]**

 **Solid Trousers**

 **Woven from the hairs of a specially bred mountain goat the Dwarven people use for milk, meat and fur, these trousers are resilient to rips, tears and flames. They offer very little actual protection, as they are designed for civilian use.**

 **Durability: 60/60**

 **Armour Protection: 5 on all covered locations.**

 **Special: Treated with a flame-retardant solution, these trousers grant an additional armour bonus of +20 to all flame-based attacks.**

"And where there are trousers…ah-ha!" Gobuto said triumphantly as he uncovered a set of clean loincloths in the small backpack that had obviously belonged to the dwarf his new trousers belonged to. He quickly put them on, followed by the trousers.

With two down, he closed the backpack and slid it into his magic bag for convenience sake to make three. While a helmet would be good, he could see that none would fit him. Obviously, the last generation had taken all the Dwarven and Halfling helmets with them.

Deciding that the next thing on his list would be things he could eat and gain skills from, Gobuto started paying more attention to anything of a magical nature, like staffs, sceptres and the like. One caught his eye. It was a wand about a foot long, with green gems studded along its length and odd script engraved along its length.

 **[Lesser Wand of Hypnosis]**

 **Average Wand**

 **Carved from oak and embedded with gems to do with mind control, this wand allows the wielder to channel magic for non-elemental spells, as well as slightly enhancing the effects of any [Hypnotism] spell.**

It looked interesting, but he decided just to hide it; wouldn't want anyone to find it and try to use it on him. Eventually, a plain looking staff caught his eye.

 **[Apprentice Wizard's Staff]**

 **Stout Staff**

 **A staff wielded by apprentice wizards. It acts as a channel for mana, the source of magic, and aids the wielder in the manipulation of mana. In a pinch, it can also be used as a close combat weapon, but this is not advised.**

 **Durability: 40/40**

 **Bludgeoning Damage: S+10**

' _Huh…maybe this will unlock my MP?_ ' Gobuto mused. It was worth a try anyway.

Heaving the staff over his shoulder, he headed out of the room, the door reappearing once the staff cleared the threshold.

"That you done then, youngster?" Gobujiji asked.

"Yup. Thanks, Gobujiji." Gobuto replied.

"Kehehehe…think nothing of it." the old goblin cackled as he hobbled off.

 **Quest Complete!**

 **You have successfully completed the 'Goblin Bellboy' Quest!**

 **Quest Rewards: +100 EXP, +50 Reputation with Gobujiji, Daily Access to the Storehouse.**

Dismissing the screen, Gobuto secluded himself in an empty cave and devoured the staff. It was made of wood and metal, but it still tasted good. At least the fact it was an apprentice staff explained why the wizard had been easily beaten by goblins.

{ **As a result of devouring the [Apprentice Wizard's Staff], you have acquired the Skill [Mana Manipulation]!** }

 **[Mana Manipulation] (Level 1, 00.00)**

 **Any wizard who has access to their mana can just blast their foes with raw mana. In order to use elemental spells and higher-level magic, an apprentice must master the second step of wizardry, Mana Manipulation. Using staffs, sceptres and staves to increase their skills is the mark of an Apprentice Wizard; only Journeymen Wizards and above can cast without these implements, instead using wands and rings.**

 **\- Allows the use of Intermediate Magic by the User (Tier 6-Tier 10 spells only).**

 **\- Reduces Mana Consumption for spells by 1.**

 **\- Increases Damage of Offensive spells by 1.**

 **\- Increases Effect of Defensive spells by 1.**

 **\- Increases Effect of All other spells by 1.**

 **\- Increases MP by 0.**

"Nice. Oh?" Gobuto closed one window only to have two more pop up.

{ **Congratulations! You have acquired a skill that has to do with MP! MP unlocked! You gain 200 MP!** }

{ **As a result of unlocking your MP, you have unlocked the skills [Mana Channelling] and [Mana Bolt]!** }

 **[Mana Channelling] (Level 1, 00.00)**

 **The first thing wizard aspirants are taught once they start down the path of magic is how to channel magic into their staffs, sceptres or staves. Advanced users can even channel magic through their body without ill effects and is a perquisite for Mastery.**

 **\- Allows the use of basic magic by the user (Tier 1 to Tier 5 spells only).**

 **\- Adds 1 to MP.**

 **[Mana Bolt] (Level 1, 00.00)**

 **Tier 1 Spell**

 **The most absolute basic spell in existence. The user essentially concentrates mana at the end of their staff/stave/sceptre and fires it at the target. While basic, even this spell can be dangerous to other wizards if mastered to its limit.**

 **Damage Type: Magic Missile.**

 **Element: Non-Elemental.**

 **Damage Dealt: IntX5**

Three skills from one rod…nice. Saying that though, he'd have to wait until tomorrow to use any of them, as he didn't have a magic casting tool.

Satisfied with that, Gobuto looked through the backpack that had once belonged to a dwarf and inventoried its contents.

X4 Clean Loincloths.

X1 Shaving kit, including mirror, razor blade and whetstone for the blade.

X1 Map of the continent, which was very useful.

X1 small dagger.

X1 Bedroll.

X1 Rune Charm.

The charm was about the size of a pen and looked unusual, resembling a man with a fierce expression and a long beard. On the back was a long string of runic characters. The effect of [Analyse] was enlightening.

 **[Runic Talisman of Brima]**

 **Blessed by a Priest of Brima, the Dwarven God of Travelling, this talisman is said to protect the bearer from harm while travelling so long as one observes the Overground Rites. The runes on the rear gather magic in order to perpetuate the blessing.**

Obviously, the dwarf it had previously belonged to hadn't observed the Overground Rites…whatever they were.

The map was interesting, but a bit useless. With no idea where the goblin cave was situated, Gobuto couldn't tell where he was. Even worse, he had no idea how up-to-date the map was. It was only for this continent by the looks of it. Unsurprisingly, he couldn't read it, so he [Analysed] it several times to get all the information he could from it.

{ **[Analyse Object] has levelled up!** }

Tracing one claw lightly across the surface of the map, Gobuto made several assumptions. One, red meant danger to dwarves similar to how humans associated danger with that colour. Two, the city the line originated in was underground. Three, that the dwarves had secret entrances to their network of tunnels that were unknown to the humans.

Taking those assumptions into account, the red parts of the line indicated that the route went aboveground at that point, which limited the kingdoms he could be in to three.

{ **As a result of repeated actions, the Skill [Basic Map Reading] has been acquired!** }

 **[Basic Map Reading] (Level 1, 00.00)**

 **Allows the user to read the basic parts of a map. Note: unable to level up until a written language is learned.**

"Well…that makes sense, I suppose…" Gobuto mused. The basic parts of map reading was looking at the basic lines that defined countries and provinces, but a greater part involved reading words, so this was a dead-end skill for the moment.

A 'ding!' made him look up and the window that appeared made him raise his hairless eyebrows.

 **Quest Alert!**

 **Daily Quest: Food for the Pot: Go forth and hunt at least one creature for the communal pot! Note: Must team up with at least two other goblins.**

 **Quest Reward: Assuage your hunger, 150 EXP, 10 SP.**

 **Quest Failure: Eat old orc meat.**

 **Accept?**

 **Y/N**

' _This is different._ ' Gobuto mused as he hit 'Y' with one jab. Before now, it had been 'Hunt the Wabbits', so why had it changed?

"Did…did I do this?" the reincarnated goblin muttered. He had practically ordered the rest to travel in groups of three and there it was there, **[Must team up with at least two other goblins]**.

Shrugging, Gobuto stashed the map back into the backpack and then put the backpack inside the [Wizard's Bag of Carrying] before slinging it over his back. Time to grab Goburyū and Goburimi. He still was a bit wary about letting the two team up, but at least he was better armed and armoured than the other two.

"Goburyū!" he called as he came into the communal area of the cave. The greedy goblin jumped as he heard Gobuto calling out to him.

"Y-Yes, Gobuto?" he asked almost fearfully.

"Time to go hunting." Gobuto replied, making the other goblin's jaw drop in shock.

"B-But…aren't you angry with me?" Goburyū asked.

"I wasn't really _angry_ with you." Gobuto retorted, "I was disappointed that you cared so much for stuffing your own face that you'd let yourself die. As a result, you are now banned from solo hunting, so that just means you're going to have to accompany me. Goburimi, do you want to team up with us?"

The female goblin was loitering nearby, sneaking not-very-subtle glances at Goburyū when Gobuto spoke to her, making the female goblin jump.

"Eh?! Me join you two hunting?" she exclaimed, "Are you sure it's OK?"

"Sure." Gobuto nodded, "You have to follow my orders though. Sound OK?"

"You should listen to big bro." Goburyū grunted, "I didn't and that orc almost ate me."

' _Who is this big bro you speak of?…is it me?_ ' Gobuto mused. It was like Konohamaru all over again.

"Th-Then I'll leave the decisions to you, Gobuto." Goburimi said timorously.

"Good. Now follow me." Gobuto said firmly and led his two minions outside, grabbing a stick for Goburimi on the way.

Once outside, Gobuto sat down and pulled out his last remaining [Rabbit Horn], as well as the small dagger from the dwarf backpack and a piece of leather from the [Wizard's Bag of Carrying].

After cutting off any wood that stuck out from the stick, Gobuto made a cut at one end of the length of wood. He then gnawed at the blunt end of the horn until it was blunt before pushing it into the cut he had made and binding it tightly with a strip he had cut from the length of leather.

Testing it once or twice to make sure it wouldn't break, Gobuto presented it to an awed Goburimi.

{ **As a result of a specific action, the skill [Crude Spear Making] has been created!** }

 **[Crude Spear Making] (Level 1, 00.00)**

 **Components: Stick, Rabbit Horn, Length of leather thong.**

 **Tools: small dagger**

 **It isn't a complicated process to create a [Crude Spear], but it isn't something someone would think of off of the top of their head either.**

 **[Crude Spears] currently have the following stats:**

 **Durability: 20/20**

 **Piercing Damage: S+5**

 **Slashing Damage: S+1**

 **Bludgeoning Damage: S+3**

Not bad. Not exactly what you could call 'good' by any stretch of the imagination, but for the moment, it was sufficient to give to Goburimi, who was level 2.

"The basic formation is this." Gobuto informed the two other goblins, "I have the only protective gear, so I'll draw the monster's attention. While I hold them off, Goburyū will smack them with his club and Goburimi will attack from the other side with her spear. OK?"

The other two nodded.

"Good. Follow me." Gobuto drew his dirk and headed off into the forest, closely followed by Goburyū and Goburimi.

 _Later_

All in all, the hunting had been a great success.

Gobuto had made a killing with his armour and dirk against the [Horned Rabbits], slaying them with one stab or slice. Sadly, the EXP from the rabbits had fallen to a mere 15 EXP per rabbit, divided up into five per goblin, so they were little more than a drop in the ocean with the amount he needed to get to level 5. Fortunately, the 150 EXP and 10 SP from the Daily Quest was more than good compensation.

Together, his trio killed six [Horned Rabbits], dividing the spoils into two rabbits per goblin. His **[Lesser Agility Boost]** and **[Escape]** skills had both levelled up from devouring his two rabbits. After explaining why he needed them, both Goburimi and Goburyū had handed him the horns from the rabbits so he could make more spears.

After that, Gobuto had decided to see about hunting more powerful prey. Goburyū, who had leapt up to Level 4 the previous day (just how many damn rabbits had he eaten? He made Chōji look well-mannered by comparison!) and Goburimi, who had advanced to Level 3, were uneasy after the former's run-in with the orc the previous night, but were willing to try under Gobuto's leadership.

The prey they had found was called the [Armoured Tanuki], which had immediately brought Gaara and Shukaku to mind. Silently apologising to the two of them for this, Gobuto had discerned that, while the raccoon-dog had an impressive defence, they were quite weak on the attack, aside from one attack that turned them into a whirling ball of armour plates.

Fortunately, Gobuto developed a counter to this attack by dodging to the side once the ball was rolling and making them slam into the tree he was standing in front of. This left the Tanuki stunned and flopped out defencelessly, allowing Goburimi and himself to deal the finishing blows.

This granted the small trio a total of fifty EXP points, divided by three into about 16 EXP per goblin. Eating the flesh of the beast had been tasty, but hadn't done anything skill wise, but a shard of the shell had granted him the skill **[Shell Defence]**.

 **[Shell Defence] (Level 1, 00.00)**

 **Any creature that wears a shell is comfortable within that skin and instinctively knows how to best use it to protect themselves from enemies.**

 **\- When using armour or shields made from organic shells, add 5 to defence.**

 **\- When using organic shells as armour or for shields, reduces chance of being struck with a fatal attack by 5%.**

A really useful skill at this point. Something else to keep in mind was building armour and shields, especially one for Goburyū, who would make a good front-liner. Gobuto had never been very good at tanking enemy attacks without Kurama to help him out, so a second weapon would be his own direction…maybe.

A couple more devoured Tanuki later; he gained the second and final skill that the Tanuki had, [Endurance].

 **[Endurance] (Level 1, 00.00)**

 **This skill grants the user additional Toughness.**

 **\- The user is granted additional Toughness equal to the level of this skill multiplied by ten (Level Max=10).**

Once he eventually understood what the hell Toughness was good for, the obvious aside, this would no doubt prove to be a highly useful skill. Hell, just level one jumped his Toughness up by ten!

"Alright! We've eaten our fill!" he called to the other two, "Now let's grab something for the rest of our group!"

"Why?" Goburyū asked in confusion.

"For the love of…! I _told_ you yesterday!" Gobuto said in disbelief, "The more gobs that live, the stronger our forces will be."

"He has a point, Goburyū." Goburimi said shyly.

Nodding begrudgingly, Goburyū heaved his wooden club to his shoulder and awaited orders.

Over the next while, the three gathered up another ten [Horned Rabbits] and took them back to the cave to add to the communal store, along with a load of shell plates from the armoured Tanuki. Better yet, Gobuto had levelled up again.

Gobujiji gaped at his group in astonishment, along with the other goblins.

"Youngster…how did you catch so many?" the old goblin breathed.

"Wasn't that hard." Gobuto shrugged as he dumped his lot of the rabbits down, "Here ya go, Gobujiji. Have a rabbit."

"Heh…don't mind if I do." Gobujiji replied.

{ **You gain 150 Reputation with Gobujiji! He now likes you!** }

Well that was good. If he could get enough reputation with Gobujiji, maybe he could get him to back Gobuto as the new leader before the previous generation returned from their pillaging raid. The old Goblin was a font of wisdom and knew everything there was to know about the caves and local area. Having his support would be invaluable.

Suddenly, another goblin, covered in blood ran in looking panicked.

"Hu-humans!" he shouted, "Humans are hunting goblins in the forest!"

 **OGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNK**

 **Next Chapter: Versus Humans**

 **OGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNK**


	5. Chapter 5

"I'm a Goblin…" - Regular Speech.

'… _So what?_ ' - Thoughts.

{ **Is the Title** } - Voice of Heaven Announcement.

 **Chapter 5: Versus Humans**

Immediately, there was a fuss as the whole cave of goblins started screaming, arguing and shouting. The cacophony of noise really hurt Gobuto's ears.

"[ **Mana Bolt** ]!" he shouted, holding his hand up to the ceiling. A bolt of blue light erupted from it and struck the ceiling with a bang, shutting up everyone.

"If you're all done bitching like a group of humans, I'll go out and kick some ass… _again_!" Gobuto growled, "Gobujiji, is there any way to close the cave mouth?"

The elderly goblin shook his head. "Nope. Used to be, but the device stopped working when I was a runt."

"Great." Gobuto muttered, "Goburimi, Goburyū! You guys stay by the entrance to the cave. Ambush anything that isn't a goblin that comes in. Goburyū, you hit their legs with your club, and then Goburimi stabs them in the face with her spear once they fall over. Got it?"

His two companions nodded grimly.

Checking his equipment, Gobuto set off for the cave entrance, but was stopped by Gobujiji.

"Youngster, be careful." the old-timer said quietly, "This has happened a couple of times in the past. These humans are likely bandits looking to raise their level. None of them will be terribly strong, but they will be relentless in hunting any goblin they can find."

"Thanks for the information, Gobujiji." Gobuto said. He advanced again, only to be stopped by a screen appearing in front of him.

 **[Quest Alert!]**

 **Hunt the Hunters: Humans have appeared in your forest and seek to hunt your kin in order to gain EXP. Turn the tables on them and drive them out!**

 **Bonus: Kill at least one human.**

 **Quest Reward: +700 EXP, +50 SP, Random Weapon/Armour/Item, +500 Relationship with [Own Tribe of Goblins], [Re-Equip Magic] Skill Book.**

 **Bonus Reward: Human to Devour, +100 EXP per slain human.**

 **Quest Failure: Death, destruction of tribe.**

 **Accept?**

 **Y/** N

"Great, another mission when I could die…business as usual for me." Gobuto grumbled as he hit the only key that would actually do anything.

Cautiously, the reincarnated ninja crept out of the cave and hid amongst the foliage as he followed the sound of shouting that had only become audible as he had left the cave. He couldn't understand a word of what was being said, but the person shouting didn't care about being heard, that was certain.

A couple of screens popped up in front of him after a few moments of this.

 **As a result of repeated actions, the skill [Stealth] has been learned!**

 **[Stealth] (Passive/Active) [LV1, 00.00 EXP]**

 **The ability to move quietly and without drawing attention to oneself is an ancient practice used by the first hunters. It was quickly adapted by others, from children sneaking sweets to assassins approaching their targets.**

 **\- Passively raises chance to avoid detection by sound by 5%.**

 **\- Passively raises chance to avoid detection by scent by 5%.**

 **\- Actively raises chance to avoid detection by sight by 5%.**

 **\- While active, running is prohibited.**

 **As a result of repeated actions, the skill [Silent Forest Movement] has been learned!**

 **[Silent Forest Movement] (Passive) [LV1, 00.00 EXP]**

 **One who lives in a forest gradually learns to be able to move through it without making any noise. Any noise that they do make blends with the natural sounds made by the forest and its other inhabitants.**

 **\- Passively reduces the amount of noise you make in a forest by 5%.**

 **\- Passively blends 5% of the noise you make in with the noises naturally made by the forest.**

Useful.

Before moving on, Gobuto checked his status.

 **Name: Gobuto**

 **Level: 5**

 **To Next Level: 807 EXP**

 **Race: Goblin**

 **Job: None**

 **HP: 300/300**

 **MP: 200/200**

 **Strength: 14**

 **Toughness: 24**

 **Dexterity: 16**

 **Initiative: 10**

 **Wisdom: 11**

 **Leadership: [Locked]**

 **Equipment: Head: None**

 **Torso: [Halfling's Protective Cuirass]**

 **Arms: None**

 **Undergarments: Clean Loincloth/Dwarven Mining Trousers**

 **Legs: None**

 **Feet: None**

 **R. Hand: None**

 **L. Hand: None**

 **Weapon: [Raven Armoury Dirk]**

 **Items: [Wizard's Bag of Carrying]**

 **Attribute Points: 6**

 **Skill Points: 60**

Seeing that he had six as-yet unused AP, Gobuto put four into his DEX and the last two into his STR. Turning his attention to his SP, he saw that he had enough to buy one more skill. Opening the Skill Purchase Window, Gobuto scanned the skills, noticing that he had acquired a few outside of them thanks to [Gluttony].

 **Skills Available for 50 SP: - [Presence Perception]**

 **\- [Lesser-Improved Slashing Power] (Owned)**

 **\- [Evasion]**

 **\- [Endurance] (Owned)**

 **\- [Lesser Life Increase]**

 **\- [Luck Up]**

 **\- [Humanbane]**

 **\- [Lesser-Improved Jumping Power]**

 **\- [Lesser Shadow Magic]**

 **\- [Rest]**

 **\- [Force of Will] (Owned)**

Reaching his finger out, Gobuto pressed **[Presence Perception]**.

 **[Presence Perception]**

 **The ability to register the locations of all living beings within a certain radius of oneself. While useful against most beings, it is useless against someone who has mastered masking their presence.**

 **Do you wish to purchase this skill?**

 **Y/N**

"Perfect." he whispered and purchased it.

 **[Presence Perception] (Passive) [LV1, 00.00 EXP]**

 **The ability to register the locations of all living beings within a certain radius of oneself. While useful, it is useless against someone who has mastered masking their presence.**

 **Detection Radius: 5 Meters**

OK, so a bit short ranged, but still useful. Right now, Gobuto could feel numerous insects, a couple of birds and a badger within his range. Doubtless this would be useful when worrying about people coming from behind him.

Moving through the bushes surprisingly silently, Gobuto then remembered that he had three silencing effects on him; **[Silent Movement]** , **[Stealth]** and **[Silent Forest Movement]**. Combining their effects made him fairly stealthy by the standards of a beginner.

He stiffened as the sound of large boots smashing their way through the undergrowth started coming closer, and the presence of a human came into his range. Gobuto peered through the leaves of the bush he was in to see his first human in this world. He wasn't impressed.

The man stank to high heavens and had long greasy black hair tied back into a ponytail. He wore what looked like boiled leather armour, also filthy, and held a rusty-looking sword in one hand.

 **['Smiling' Booker's Crew]**

 **Brand LV3**

 **[The Con Artist]**

How this filthy person could be a con artist was beyond Gobuto. The new line above the man's name confused him for a moment, but he assumed it was the name of the group he belonged to.

The man shouted something to his side, and then listened as another human shouted something back at him before laughing and stomping off again.

Looking around, Gobuto was disappointed to see no other bandits other than Brand. Were they so overconfident that they neglected to keep each other in line of sight with two other members of their group?

' _Well, they ARE bandits…_ ' he thought and shrugged slightly. Quietly drawing his dirk, he trailed the man until the bandit decided to take a piss. With a hissed cry of " **[Backstab]**!" Gobuto leapt onto the bandit's back, clamped a hand over his mouth and stabbed him through the neck with his dirk a couple of times.

Blood gushed from the wounds as Brand choked before falling over to lie twitching on the ground. He fell still seconds later. Gobuto dragged his body deeper into the undergrowth to conceal him before wiping his blade clean on the grass next to the corpse.

{ **You have slain the bandit Brand the Con Artist! You gain 75 EXP!** }

' _One down._ ' he thought and headed off to track new prey.

Over the next few minutes, Gobuto discovered that, including the deceased Brand, there were ten bandits in the forest. Most were Level 5, with the leader, 'Smiling' Booker, being Level 6. All of their names were just plain weird; Bryant the Spider, 'Numbers' Nilsson, Ryan the Sly, 'Pegleg' Reggie, 'Pickpocket' Cooper, 'Swindling' Alex, Jordy the Twofaced and Carter the Serpent.

Most were equipped with swords, knives and leather armour like Brand had been, but Jordy the Twofaced had a crossbow at the ready and 'Smiling' Booker had a massive sword over his shoulder, one that he would need both hands to wield. It wasn't anywhere near the size of Momochi Zabuza's Kubikiribōchō, but it was far bigger than any of the other swords wielded by the other bandits.

Quickly making a strategy, Gobuto watched how the bandits moved after climbing into a tree. They were all idiots, as far as he could tell. No predictable patterns to take advantage of, but they also didn't find it odd that they hadn't heard from Brand for a while, which was good.

To Gobuto, aside from 'Smiling' Booker, the most troublesome person of the lot was the crossbow wielder. He hadn't used them in his past life, but Gobuto recalled Inari from Nami no Kuni becoming very proficient with them, able to hit his mark with a basic crossbow at two-hundred paces.

So, eliminate him first.

It wasn't difficult to dodge and avoid the other bandits. Some of them were chewing something that smelled awful. Drugs, likely. Gobuto felt a bit indignant that these idiots were underestimating his kind to this extent.

Another attack from behind and a slit throat later, Gobuto was up another 75 EXP and was dragging another body into the undergrowth when a shout came from the direction that Brand's body had been stashed. He scrabbled up a tree just in time to avoid two of them coming to find their crossbow wielding friend.

' _This ought to be useful._ ' he smirked as he hefted the crossbow he had taken from Jordy the Twofaced, as well as the small quiver of quarrels. He lined up a shot and fired, the bolt embedding itself into the back of Ryan the Sly's head, dropping him like a stone.

{ **You have slain the bandit Ryan the Sly! You gain 75 EXP!** }

Hopping from branch to branch, Gobuto retreated and reloaded the crossbow on the fly. Thankfully, it had a mechanical windlass system to draw the bowstring back, so it was easy, if time consuming.

Finding another target, Gobuto fired, hitting his target in the center of the spine and dropping him. The man shrieked like a woman giving birth.

{ **'Pegleg' Reggie: Lower body crippled!** }

Leaving the crossbow in the tree, as they'd be on guard for it by this point, Gobuto crept along the tree limbs until he discovered himself above one nervous looking bandit. Drawing his dirk again, Gobuto dropped on top of him and once more performed two swift stabs that downed the man in another gargle of blood.

{ **You have slain the bandit 'Pickpocket' Cooper! You gain 75 EXP!** }

A shout from behind him made Gobuto sigh. He'd been seen.

Turning, he saw the remaining five bandits glaring at him from about ten meters away. Evidently, even intoxicated morons like this lot could learn.

He made a 'shoo-shoo' gesture at them, hoping they'd take the hint. They got the message, but seemed to think he was mocking them…which he was, at least in part.

The leader drew his large sword slowly, attempting such an obvious intimidation play that it made Gobuto roll his eyes, and barked orders at his men, making them fan out and attempt to surround the lone goblin.

' _This could be tricky._ ' Gobuto conceded. Up until now, he had handled any enemy bigger than him by using stealth and treachery. In his past life, when this had happened, he had barreled through them using his enormous chakra reserves and sheer willpower, only one of which he had at the moment.

Still, the instincts one learned about fighting larger foes wasn't something he had forgotten. He had never been taller than average thanks to some genetic quirk or other. Sakura-chan had tried to explain it to him once, but had lost him in amongst the techno-babble.

Another bark of indecipherable orders from 'Smiling' Booker had two of the bandits attacking him. Gobuto ducked between the legs of one and sliced the back of his legs, letting blood run free.

The other one shouted something and lashed out with his sword. Gobuto was just slightly too slow to dodge it and received a cut across his left shoulder.

 **\- 50HP!**

" **[Mana Bolt]**!" Gobuto yelled, thrusting his injured arm out. The bolt erupted from his hand and pierced through the body of the man as if it wasn't even there. As the cadaver collapsed, the other bandit he'd cut open collapsed as well, having bled out.

{ **You have slain 'Numbers' Nilsson! You earn 75 EXP!**

 **You have slain Bryant the Spider! You earn 75 EXP!** }

Gobuto, rather magnanimously in his opinion, once again gestured to the bandits, now reduced to three, to leave. The two on either side of the boss exchanged looks and fled.

'Smiling' Booker was the only one of his band left and it looked like he was about to burst a vein. He started ranting something in the gobbledygook that was his language, probably something to do with 'how could a lowly goblin kill all my men?!' yadda, yadda, yadda.

Taking the time to examine his equipment, Gobuto still wasn't impressed. This guy was slightly better equipped than his flunkeys, but that wasn't much. His leather armour had metal plates sewn onto the top of it. His left arm was entirely encased in a steel gauntlet of some kind, while his right was completely bare. He used **[Appraise Creature]** on the man, and was surprised when it worked.

 **Name: Adam 'Smiling' Booker**

 **Level: 6**

 **Title: Leader of 'Smiling' Booker's Crew**

 **S: 25**

 **T: 20**

 **D: 17**

 **I: 16**

 **W: 10**

 **Ld: 5**

' **Smiling' Booker is a small-time bandit chief that leads a crew of nine other cutthroats and operates in the hinterlands of the New Theresa Kingdom and the Grand Theocracy.**

 **Guilty of: Murder, Rape, Theft, Kidnapping, an assortment of lesser offences.**

Gobuto's eyes hardened as he read that last bit. Looks like he'd be doing the world a favour by killing this guy.

Returning to the stats, he gave them some scrutiny. As expected, the strength that this guy possessed wasn't to be taken lightly. He was well able to swing that oversized sword around. He wasn't too bad toughness wise either. The rest of his stats were so-so.

Closing the window, Gobuto rapped his dirk against his armour, interrupting the bandit's rant. The man glared at him and Gobuto made a come-on gesture before tapping his foot.

With a roar of anger, Brooks charged at him with his greatsword drawn back ready to strike. When it came down, Gobuto wasn't there. He had leapt to the side and now jumped at his enemy with his dirk drawn back.

Brooks punched him in the face with his armoured left arm, sending Gobuto staggering back.

 **-30 HP!**

" **[Mana Bolt]**!" Gobuto sent his only magic attack at the man, who swiftly raised his sword to block it. Sadly for him, the sword couldn't take it and the top foot or so shattered into steel dust.

"Must have been a cheap sword!" Gobuto commented to himself as he surreptitiously felt his nose. It wasn't broken, which was a relief.

Brooks looked at his sword in disbelief before resuming his assault with a savage look in his eyes. The reduction in his range plus the savageness of his attack made it actually easier to avoid him. Gobuto kept scoring cut after cut on his exposed arm before driving his dirk into the arm of the bandit leader, making it flop uselessly.

 **Brooks' Right Arm Disabled!**

Abandoning his sword in his anger, Brooks started swinging with his left hand, panting and cursing in pain…or so Gobuto guessed. He dodged for a while before ending it by shoving the dirk in the bandit chief's eye up to the hilt before withdrawing it, allowing the body to crash to the ground.

{ **You have slain 'Smiling' Brooks! You earn 150 EXP!** }

Frowning, the reincarnated ninja looked around. There were no other bandits around and all of them were dead…except that man he had crippled.

"They ran off and left him here…" Gobuto sighed. He retraced his steps and found the man dragging himself determinedly along the forest floor. When he spotted Gobuto, he cursed and drew his knife, waving it around threateningly.

Gobuto was torn here. He didn't like killing people when they were so totally helpless like this, but this guy had followed a murderer like Brooks. He had to have done something…right?

He used **[Appraise Creature]** on the bandit.

 **Name: Reginald 'Reggie' Beaten**

 **Level: 5**

 **Title: Member of 'Smiling' Brooks' Crew**

 **S: 16**

 **T: 15**

 **D: 10**

 **I: 12**

 **W: 10**

 **Status: Permanently Crippled.**

' **Pegleg' Reggie is a vicious criminal guilty of multiple counts of murder. He lost his leg in a fight with a squire and replaced it with a wooden limb, giving him his nickname.**

Resolve reinforced by his new knowledge of the man's crimes, Gobuto blasted his head off with another **[Mana Bolt]**.

{ **You have slain the bandit 'Pegleg' Reggie! You receive 75 EXP!** }

 **[Quest Complete!]**

 **Hunt the Hunters: You have successfully defended your territory from the human bandits!**

 **Quest Reward: +700 EXP, +50 SP, [Goblin Battle Helmet], + 500 Relationship with [Own Goblin Tribe], [Re-Equip Magic] Skill Book.**

 **Bonus Reward: Eight humans slain: Choose one to eat, + 800 EXP**

 **You have levelled up! LV5-LV6!**

 **You have five AP to spend.**

"Whew…" Gobuto sighed, "Now then…"

He started moving all of the bodies into one pile, which wasn't easy. The men were heavy bastards. Finally, the eight of them were in one place. He decided that he would eat Brooks, as the leader had been the biggest pain in the ass to fight, as well as the highest levelled enemy there.

Eating human flesh…didn't taste like chicken, contrary to the rumours. It was more like sweet pork. He was strangely not disturbed by the fact he was eating a human. Maybe it was because he had adjusted fully to the fact he wasn't human any more.

{ **As a result of devouring a human, the skill [Human Language (Imperial Trade)] was gained!** }

 **[Human Language (Spoken) (Imperial Trade)] (Passive) [LVMAX]**

 **The language used by the Empire of Klaus, Imperial Trade is used for interchange between various human cultures and countries. The name is derived from the fact it was originally used by imperial merchants as a secret language.**

 **\- Allows one to speak and understand other speakers of [Imperial Trade].**

 **\- Grants +1 to [Intimidation], [Seduction] and [Charming] actions with other speakers of [Imperial Trade].**

{ **As a result of devouring a human, the skill [Evasion] has been gained!** }

 **[Evasion] (Passive) [LV1, 00.00EXP]**

 **The ability to dodge and avoid attacks, whether they be close combat or ranged. Little to no effect on entirely magical attacks.**

 **\- 5% chance to automatically avoid mundane attacks.**

 **\- ½ % chance to automatically avoid magical attacks.**

"Evasion? He didn't do any evading against me!" Gobuto muttered. He then looked at the other bodies piled up nearby. Time to drag them to the cave. No point wasting all that meat, after all.

 **OGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNK**

 **Next Chapter: An Old Enemy Appears**

 **OGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNK**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: OK, so I was going to finish this up and post this earlier on, like last Monday, but my computer was in the shop and my internet was down. Stupid Trojans…I've also upped the rating of this fic from 'T' to 'M' as a result of complaints and some of the events of this chapter.**

 **A lot of people have asked why Naruto hasn't seemed all that mature, considering he was 100 years old or so when he died. Answer: He's revelling in having no responsibilities for a while. Face it, being a Hokage is a difficult job and chances for stress relief is few and far between.**

 **I doubt this needs to be said, but the world Naruto is from is an AU where the events of Boruto did not take place. Assume any happening from that manga/anime are moot. Oh, Boruto and Himawari were born, but anything else, including the Boruto Movie, are presumed not to have happened in the world Naruto comes from.**

 **Read and Review! Also, check out my other stories!**

"I'm a Goblin…" - Regular Speech.

'… _So what?_ ' - Thoughts.

{ **Is the Title** } - Voice of Heaven Announcement.

 **Chapter 6: An Old Enemy Appears**

It was worth hauling the corpses of the humans back to the cave, just to see the gobsmacked expression on everyone's faces. Gobujiji's expression was particularly hilarious.

"Y-youngster…how…why... _how…?!_ " he stammered, eyes bulging, jaw hanging somewhere near his knees and snot dribbling out from his nose.

"They weren't expecting a goblin who knew how to sneak in the forest." Gobuto said casually as he dumped the last carcass on the ground, "We'd better strip them of their stuff so that we can put it to use."

"Oh-ho! I like the way you think!" the old goblin cackled, "Get to it then, young un!"

 **[Quest Alert!]**

 **Strip 'em Down: Gobujiji has given you permission to strip the dead bandits of their clothes and equipment before allowing them to be eaten. Do so and you get first dibs!**

 **Quest Reward: 200 EXP, +1 Human body part to eat per stripped human, +10 SP**

 **Do you accept?**

 **Y | N**

Hitting the 'Y' button, Gobuto set off to do exactly that. It was more difficult than he first thought it would be, mostly because apparently this world hadn't invented the zipper yet. They had buttons…lots and lots of buttons, as well as leather ties and buckles.

Still, there was a reason that the quest had had no failure possibility mentioned in it; only a complete moron could fail this quest. As a bonus, he had upped his DEX by two by the end of the whole thing, thanks to all the wrangling with the stupid knots and buckles.

 **[Quest Complete!]**

 **Strip 'em Down: You have stripped the human bandits down to their underthings. You aren't especially eager to see their unmentionables, which is understandable.**

 **Quest Reward: +200 EXP, +8 human body parts to eat, +10 SP.**

Grinning, Gobuto helped himself to an arm apiece and headed off to his corner to devour them. The skills he got from eating them were…wide and varied.

 **{As a result of devouring a human, the skill [Crossbow Mastery] was learned!}**

 **[Crossbow Mastery] (Passive) [LV1, 00.00]**

 **The crossbow is a heavier version of the bow that has a fair range to it. A crossbow quarrel can pierce the full plate armour of a knight if shot with enough accuracy. Crossbows are also easier to learn how to use and master than regular bows.**

 **\- Grants +5 to all damage done by crossbow-type weapons.**

 **\- Increases accuracy with crossbow-type weapons by 1.**

 **\- Decreases reload time for all crossbow-type weapons by 10 seconds.**

 **{As a result of devouring a human, the skill [Deception] was learned!}**

 **[Deception] (Passive) [LV1, 00.00]**

 **The ability to deceive one's enemies is one thing, but the ability to deceive ones allies in quite another. This skill increases the effectiveness of all skills that involve deception to any degree. But be careful. Make sure all your lies connect to one another, or bad things will happen.**

 **\- Increases the likelihood of a successful deception based action by 5.**

 **{As a result of devouring a human, the skill [Brawling] was learned!}**

 **[Brawling] (Passive/Active) [LV1, 00.00]**

 **Lacking any sort of refinement or finesse, brawling is the 'style' used by those who have not been formally taught martial arts or self-defence. Relying solely on brute strength and quick reflexes to subdue the enemy, it can be surprisingly effective when used by a strong enough fighter and includes the skill to make use of improvised close combat weapons. It crumbles slightly in the face of a well-trained martial artist of any decent level, however.**

 **\- Passively raises STR by 5 in close unarmed combat.**

 **\- Passively raises TOU by 5 in close unarmed combat.**

 **\- Passively raises DEX by 5 in close unarmed combat.**

 **\- Passively raises DAMAGE by 5 if equipped with an [Improvised] close combat weapon.**

 **{As a result of devouring a human, the skill [Throw] was learned!}**

 **[Throw] (Active) [LV1, 00.00]**

 **Basically exactly what it says in the title. You pick something up and chuck it at something. Probably the first thing thrown was a stone. This isn't necessarily a combat skill, but it can be used to augment skills such as [Knife Throwing]. It can also be used to improve your chances of throwing a grapple hook and succeeding, for example.**

 **\- Can be improvised into a combat technique, in which case the chance of a hit is DEX +1, with damage being dealt at a value depending on the material of the item being thrown. Only usable with [Small] or [Moderate] sized items.**

 **\- Improves the chances of all skills involving throwing by +5.**

 **{As a result of devouring a human, the skill [Instinctual Tracking] was learned!}**

 **[Instinctual Tracking] (Passive) [LV1, 00.00]**

 **Tracking is a skill that allows one to read the environment and follow someone or something that has left traces in the surrounding. This is not that skill. Instinctual Tracking offers you subconscious hints that may point you in the direction of such disturbances in the surroundings that could lead to people or beasts or constructs that have passed through the area.**

 **\- +5% Chance of noticing environmental disturbances created by animals.**

 **\- +10% Chance of noticing environmental disturbances created by humans.**

 **\- +20% Chance of noticing environmental disturbances created by constructs.**

 **{As a result of devouring a human, the skill [Lockpick Mastery] was learned!}**

 **[Lockpick Mastery] (Passive) [LV1, 00.00]**

 **A lockpick is one of the tools of the trade for a thief or some other rogue, such as a bandit. They can be used to unlock treasure chests, doors, windows, padlocks and other items standing between someone and his ill-gotten gains.**

 **\- Reduces chance of a lockpick breaking by 10%.**

 **\- Increases chance of a successful lock picking action by 10.**

 **\- Reduces chance of lock jam by 5%.**

 **{As a result of devouring a human, the skill [Blow] was learned!}**

 **[Blow] (Active) [LV1, 00.00]**

 **A very basic unarmed combat technique that enhances the power behind a single punch by a certain degree. Basic, perhaps, but one who masters it can break bones and shatter rock without harm to themselves.**

 **\- Uses 40 MP to be used.**

 **\- Increases damage dealt by a single punch by 15.**

 **\- Adds magical armour for the duration of the punch that prevents backlash damage from striking metal or stone or any other hard substance. Armour Durability: 30. Lasts as long as the punch.**

 **{As a result of devouring a human, the skill [Eavesdrop] was learned!}**

 **[Eavesdrop] (Active) [LV1, 00.00]**

 **When one is in stealth or concealment and wants to listen in on any conversations going on nearby, this skill comes in very handy.**

 **\- Increases hearing acuity by 10% when activated.**

 **\- Increases hearing range by one foot when active.**

 **\- Costs 10 MP/Minute to maintain.**

A very varied and unusual set of skills he had gotten from the bandits. Gobuto was currently bemoaning the two that had fled. Who knows what skills he might have gotten from the pair of them? It would have been interesting to have found out.

"Hey, Gobujiji!" he said to the old goblin who had wandered past, chewing on a human ear, "How often do these humans come up to kill us?"

"Mmmff? Oh, not often." He replied, swallowing his food as he did so, "It varies between three and six moons."

Gobuto took this to mean roughly three to six months between bandits using the goblins as a way to grind. Further questions confirmed that it hadn't been these bandits in particular that had killed goblins before. The last lot had all been women, for example, and had arrived a spare few days after the previous generation had departed on their trip.

Lucky for them.

"Hey, what other monsters are in the forest?" Gobuto asked, "I mean, demi-humans like us."

"Not many." Gobujiji sighed, "There are a couple of tribes of Kobolds in the east, some Redcaps to the north, some wood elves to the west and a nest of imps down south. Oh, and a clan of harpies further up the mountain."

"Elves? Don't they have their own country?" Gobuto frowned.

"Hah! There're more than one type of elves, youngster." The old goblin chortled, "See, the type you're thinkin' of is the High Elf, otherwise known as the Light Elf. What we have here is the Wood Elf, the forest dwelling elf. They live in small tribes in deep forests all over the world. They don't care much for other races, not even their fellow elves. Sooner shoot ya full of arrows than say hello. That bein' said, they do occasionally talk with us when we're strong, informin' us of threats to the forest and everyone in it."

With that, the old goblin shuffled off to get some sleep.

 **For listening to Gobujiji's lecture, you gain +1 WIS and +1 INT!**

Deciding that Gobujiji had the right idea, Gobuto headed to his own area to get some sleep.

 _Dreamscape_

"OK, now where am I?" Gobuto complained, before he looked down and saw that he was Naruto again, Aged 15.

{Greetings once again, Uzumaki Naruto.} A familiar…voice wasn't the right word, but it would do…voice said as the white nebulous blob that was an angel appeared in front of him.

"You again." Naruto nodded, "What do I call you? I mean, aside from 'angel', whatever that is.

{You may address me as Angela.} The angel said with what Naruto translated as a mirthful and amused shake of its insubstantial body, {But I did not bring you here for conversation, as titillating as it might be.}

"OK then, why am I here?" the former Hokage asked somewhat impatiently.

{You have shown a very good start to your trial, Uzumaki Naruto, and you have earned a privilege; you can narrow down which species you will eventually evolve into.} Angela informed him.

"So, wait…I have a choice?" the blond boy (currently) asked in surprise.

{Most monsters do not.} The angel replied, {Those who we sentence to life in this world are a different case. If you eliminate those you don't want now, you can make a better selection later on, when you do evolve.}

"Sounds good." Naruto nodded cautiously, "So, what are my choices?"

Several pillars of light appeared to his left, each showing a humanoid figure inside of it.

{The first choice is that of a standard Hobgoblin. Slightly stronger and smarter than a goblin, but not too much of a step up.} Angela said, {Next to it is a Hobgoblin Variant. Again, it is stronger and smarter than both the goblin and regular Hobgoblin, but not to any special degree.}

Most of the rest were specific Variants of Hobgoblin; Speed, Brute and Nilbogboh, which turned out to be a very evil variety of Hobgoblin. The last four were different. One was an Orc, one was a slightly taller-looking goblin wielding a pike and with a red cap that he was informed was a Redcap, one was a Kobold and one was a different kettle of fish altogether.

"What's that?" Naruto pointed at the last figure. It was red and stood slightly taller than the hobgoblin, but was shorted than the bulky and slow-looking Brute Hobgoblin. Two small horns poked out of its yellow hair and while it had an impressive musculature, it wasn't top-heavy like the Brute was.

{Ah, now _that_ is a Lesser Oni, a very rare species of monster.} Angela sounded delighted to talk about it, {Their Oni cousins are a subspecies of Ogre, just as Lesser-Oni are supposedly a subspecies of Hobgoblin.}

"How does that work out?" Naruto asked in confusion.

{The mysteries of monster interspecies mating at work. I believe it was a mating between an Oni and a Hobgoblin that produced the first one about seven thousand years ago.}

"That's a long time ago…so how many are there in the world?" Naruto prodded.

{Including you if you evolve into one? Just you.}

"Eh?"

{The regular Oni consider Lesser Oni to be something scraped off their boots, even although Lesser Oni can evolve into Oni.} Angela 'sighed' in irritation, {Before the Oni were driven far, far to the east of where you currently are, they systematically slaughtered all of the Lesser Oni in the kingdoms. The last one fell almost three-hundred years ago, although the Oni had left a century before that.}

"That sucks. So if I choose this one, I'd have a horde of Oni breathing down my neck?"

{No, there hasn't been a full-blooded Oni in your area in fifty years.} Angela said in amusement, {Oni may not like Lesser Oni, but most humans and monsters also dislike genocidal maniacs who would wipe out a species simply out of snobbery and arrogance.}

"Huh…" Naruto stood in thought after that before asking, "So how many can I eliminate?"

{Four, but you must choose to remove one of the non-Hobgoblins first.}

"OK then." The former-Hokage cracked his metaphorical knuckles, "Get rid of the Redcap. Looking at it tells me that it has a fondness for polearm weapons and I was never really any good at them."

The little being flashed out of existence.

Naruto chose to remove the standard Hobgoblin, the Brute Hobgoblin and the Nilbogboh as well. No way did he want to be an ordinary hobgoblin or a bruiser or a masochistic pain returner as the reverse-named hobgoblin had been advertised. It was apparently an evolution of a Nilbog, a goblin-equivalent named for their odd magic that healed them as they got hurt and hurt them if they got healed by other methods. A Nilbogboh, stupid name aside, did all that _and_ inflicted wounds on the enemy when wounded. All at the cost of being Very Evil.

No way, as he had said before, was he going that route.

{Excellent. Well, I shall see you again when you reach Level 10 to evolve you.} Angela said with a flash of light across her body, {You have done well for your first few days in this world, but I will tell you that it will not be as easy as it has been going forward. Evolve in a hurry, or you may not survive what is to come.}

With that, Naruto's vision whited out.

 _The Next Morning_

 **{For surviving another day, you earn 10 EXP!}**

 **{Congratulations! You have levelled up!}**

 **Level 6-Level 7!**

 **You have five attribute points to spend!**

Grinning, Gobuto opened his status screen and dumped all of them into his STR. He would put more into his mental stats once he evolved into whatever he selected on the night he hit Level 10. Until then, developing the physical side was important.

Y'know, being a weedy damn goblin and all.

The first thing he did after that was to drag the clothing to the treasure cave. It took a couple of tries to realise that the room counted each set of clothing (trouser, shirt and lightly armoured jacket) as a single item. The two halves of the broken sword of 'Smiling' Booker had levelled up his **[Lesser-Improved Slashing Power]** by two when he ate it, which meant it had to have been a pretty good sword. The other weapons were somewhere between 'meh' and average.

The crossbow was, at the moment, too big for Gobuto to use without throwing himself on his ass, so he had it placed in the treasure cave as well, along with the quiver of quarrels. That left the regular swords and daggers, some of which were so blunt it was a coin toss as to whether they'd cut something or just concuss the target. Those ones Gobuto ate as well, which raised his **[Lesser-Improved Piercing Power]** by a level.

The remaining swords were a bit large for a goblin to wield, so they were placed in the cave as well. This left the daggers, which were very useful. Certainly much better than the wooden sticks that most of the goblins had been using. He gave one each to Goburyū and Goburimi and kept one for himself before handing the others out to the highest level goblins other than his team. For this, he earned four new minions.

 **Goburi LV4**

 **Gobuseri LV3**

 **Gobuzi LV4**

 **Gobuki LV3**

The four of them started following Goburyū's lead and calling him 'Big Bro', which was again weird to hear from anyone not in the Konohamaru Corps. He missed those three.

Each of the daggers looked something like this.

 **[Average Steel Dagger]**

 **A standard double-edged dagger of the common design used across the human kingdoms. It isn't uncommon for them to be used for both combat and for eating meals. While technically a weapon, in a straight up fight a dagger is at a severe disadvantage against longer weapons.**

 **Slashing Damage: S**

 **Piercing Damage: S+5**

 **Bludgeoning Damage: S**

All in all, it was a thoroughly average weapon. Still better than a damn stick though.

Accepting the daily quest of hunting, Gobuto led Goburyū and Goburimi out into the forest to grab some Horned Rabbits. Due to his higher level, he barely got a single piece of EXP for bringing the weak monsters down. Eating them did add a nice chunk to the EXP of the skills that he had taken from them. Both **[Escape]** and **[Lesser Agility Boost]** were both Level 4 now.

"And that should do it." Gobuto sighed as the eighth horned rabbit not devoured by him, Goburyū or Goburimi was flung into the medium-sized sack that had been one of Gobuto's choices to remove from the treasure cave. It was similar to the **[Bag of Holding]** that Gobuto had slung over his back, except less powerful. It only held double the amount of space that it normally should and only halved the weight of what was inside it, so they couldn't carry very much in it. Still, it was enough to carry back the Horned Rabbits in.

"Gobuto, I can hear something…" Goburimi said with a frown. Her sandy hair fluttered in the breeze as she cocked her head to one side. "Something sounds odd…"

Gobuto wasn't used to all of the female goblin's eccentricities, but she certainly sounded sincere, although Gobuto couldn't hear anything out of the ordinary. He activated his **[Presence Perception]** skill, but couldn't sense anything. It did have a five metre range limit though, so he didn't put much stock in it.

"Right, let's head back to the cave." He whispered to the other two, "Goburimi, take the bag. Goburyū, you take point. I'll bring up the rear. If either of you see anything, tell the rest of us."

Nodding, the other two obeyed him without question. Gobuto made a note to grab the small mace he'd seen inside the treasury cave the next day. Goburyū needed a better weapon than a basic wooden club if more humans or orcs showed up.

Goburimi had several spears that Gobuto had made in a quiver that had been used for a longbow. As the spears were fairly fragile, having more than one of them on hand was a good idea, and he was glad the shy goblin girl had offered her opinion on what she wanted from the treasure cave. He would have preferred to have given her a ranged weapon of some kind, but all of the bows were too big and heavy for her to lift and he had no clue how to make a sling. So a large quiver full of spears it was.

After a minute or so of walking, the sound of large wings flapping could be heard clearly. Drawing his dirk, Gobuto kept a weather eye out with both his eyes and his detection skill. Birds, in his experience, like to dive at their prey from behind. It had been like that with both natural birds and bird summons in his original world, and he had seen enough of the non-monster wildlife to confirm that it was similar for the birds here.

"Is that...people shouting?" Goburyū asked after a moment. Indeed, there was the sound of people, females, screaming and shouting at one another at the top of their voices in a language that Gobuto didn't recognise. It wasn't Grobbri or the Trade Language of the humans. And were those wingbeats getting closer?

Suddenly a body hurtled down through the leafy canopy of the trees and barely avoided slamming straight into the ground. Instead, it ploughed a furrow across the ground in front of the three startled goblins before skidding to a halt in front of a tree.

Gobuto blinked as he beheld the being that had literally dropped in on them. It was a female and she was at least two heads taller than Goburyū, who was the tallest of all the goblins in the cave. She had long pinkish-red hair and had scaly talons starting at her ankles, as well as at her wrists. She wore what looked like animal skin shorts and a breast band that covered her modest chest.

What really made her stand out were the pinkish-red wings that sprouted from her back. They each had to be longer than she was tall and were pretty broad as well. The other notable thing about her was that she sounded as if she were cursing up a storm. Gobuto could tell that even although he couldn't understand the language she was speaking. Then he caught sight of the name that hovered over her head.

 **Tayuya LV10**

 **[Demoness of Sound]**

He remembered her…this was one of Orochimaru's elites! One of the Sound Ninja Four, Tayuya of the North Gate! Why the hell was she here? Tayuya had been killed by Sabaku no Temari during the first Sasuke Retrieval mission over eighty years ago, with her being resurrected via the _**Edo Tensei**_ during the Fourth Great Ninja War.

If she had been sent here shortly after the end of the FGNW, then she should be a higher level than level ten, surely? And where were her fellow elites?

 **{As a result of repeated actions, you have acquired the [Halmas Harpy Tribe Language] Skill!}**

 **[Halmas Harpy Tribe Language] (Passive) [LV1, 00.00]**

 **The specific dialect used by the Halmas Tribe of Harpies. Each tribe of the winged women has its own language that it uses to talk among their tribe. There is a specific universal harpy language, but this isn't it.**

 **\- Allows one to converse with those who also possess the Halmas Harpy Language skill.**

 **\- Grants +10 to [Charm], [Persuade] and [Intimidate] actions with other speakers of this language.**

So he could acquire language skills just by listening to people speak them? Why the hell hadn't anyone told him about this?!

Moving on, he now paid attention to what the girl was saying.

"-ing bastardised bitches think they can gang up on me and do me in?" Tayuya was saying, "Fuck them! I'll fucking murder them! And what the fuck are you gobs lookin' at?!"

The sudden attention of the angry harpy made Goburyū and Goburimi flinch back, but Gobuto stood firm.

"Still as foul-mouthed as ever, Tayuya of the North Gate." He said in her language, making her eyes widen at a goblin not only speaking the specific language known to her tribe, but also knowing about her past life.

She scowled at looked at him, probably scanning the name above his head.

"Who the fuck were you?" she snarled as she raised a talon in warning.

"The last time you saw me, I had blond hair and wore orange." Gobuto answered, "You might remember me breaking into the little trap you had for Shikamaru, Kiba, Chōji and Neji when you were summoned via the _**Edo Tensei**_ a few years later."

The look of disbelief on her face was a picture. "You? That fucking loudmouth blond brat? Fucking hell. So what the hell did you do to get sentenced to this shithole of a world, and as a weak-ass goblin of all things?"

"Sealed away the original bearer of chakra, Kaguya the Rabbit Goddess." Gobuto shrugged, "What're you doing in this forest?"

"None of your fucking business, brat." Tayuya sneered, "You're a lowly goblin and only level seven. How long have you been here?"

"Four or five days, give or take a few hours."

"No fuckin' way!" she narrowed her dark-brown eyes at him, looking over his equipment, which was more than decent for someone a few levels higher than he was. "With that gear? Fuck, should have been a goblin. I've been here for six months and I'm only level ten!"

Six months and she was only level ten?!

"How the _hell_ are you not a higher level?" he asked in confusion, "If it was me, I'd have _evolved_ in half that time!"

"Do _not_ start with me, pissant!" Tayuya snarled, "I dunno what it's like down here with all the plentiful game and everything for you weaklings, but up on the mountain, you have to _earn_ the right to more than what you need to live on. Competition for a place on the hunting parties is fierce and I only got on a couple of times. Otherwise, we're not allowed to leave the village. With only those two trips and the ten EXP we get for surviving a day, I'm _lucky_ to have gotten to level ten at all. And now those bitches…"

She glared up at the treetops. "A group of the other harpies of my generation have chased me out of the village and are trying to kill me. They want less competition for food and places on the hunting parties. Most of them have only gone once, so the fact I've been twice is a big threat to them. Tch. One or two of them I could handle, but five? No way in hell."

"Gobuto…" Goburyū muttered uneasily.

"Head back to the cave. Keep under cover of the bushes." He warned them in Grobbri, "There're five other harpies in the area and they're not likely to be good enough to look the other way. I'll be running distractions to lure them away from the tribe."

"O-OK." Goburyū nodded uncertainly, "Be safe, Gobuto."

As Goburimi and Goburyū ran off, Tayuya frowned. "What the fuck are you planning?"

"How likely are these other harpies to kill any goblin they come across?" Gobuto asked as he reactivated his detection skill.

"Pretty fuckin' likely." The former kunoichi snorted, "Killing gobs is like pest control. You breed so damn fast that makin' sure your kind never gets above a hundred per tribe is almost a religion to the people in this world."

' _They seem to be working; even with the new generation and the old generation, there's only fifty to seventy goblins in my tribe._ ' Gobuto thought with a scowl. Now he knew what the angel Angela had meant. Just thirty more goblins once the old generation got back and the locals would try and cull them.

Making a note to start training the other gobs in combat at some point, Gobuto sighed. "Right then. I'll help you out."

A mistrustful expression came over the Harpy's face. "What's in it for you?"

"Stopping the murder of my tribe for one." Gobuto replied, "Stopping the murder of someone who hasn't done anything to deserve it for another. If you want a selfish reason, I want your knowledge of this world. I help you against these attackers, you help me get to know what's going on in the wider world. Deal?"

Staring at him suspiciously, Tayuya nevertheless nodded. "Try to backstab me and I'll gut you." She warned him.

"Same to you." Gobuto shot back, then grinned at her surprise, "Surprised? I was the Nanadaime Hokage for over seventy years before I finally died. Something that you pick up along the way is a bit of ruthlessness and a sense of retribution."

"Well fuck." Tayuya smirked, "Not such a pussy after all, are you? OK then, 'Hokage-sama'…what's the plan?"

 _Later_

 _With the Five Harpies_

Jadia snarled as she streaked across the treetops in search of that bitch Tayuya. She had slipped away when they hadn't been looking after one of Sapphira's wind spells had blinded them with leaves.

"Any sign of the little bitch?!" Emrelda shouted.

"No sign! Not even a goblin!" Ambra called back, "If nothing else, the fledgling's good at hiding!"

"All of you, shut up!" Dia roared. She was of descent of the current leader of the tribe and was thus the de-facto leader of the five harpy girls. She had shimmering crystal wings that had earned her name. The others were stunning colours of green, blue and yellow, but hers were better than some harpies several years older than them.

Unlike with goblins, it took harpies a month to age into grown bodies, and during that time, a social pecking order was usually established. Those of superior bloodlines were at the top, the rest were at the bottom…usually. Tayuya was powerful, able to use some sort of skill, an _inborn_ skill, to control sound to some degree. She had caught the notice of their elders while still remaining aloof of the hierarchy that the rest aspired to.

Dia still ground her teeth when she recalled the first time she had faced the foul-mouthed girl in a sparring match. The soundwave that she had been hit with had driven her to her knees before Tayuya, humiliating her in front of her peers and superiors! Dia just knew that it was that first match that had taken her off the favoured list and put Tayuya on it.

For all of that, the pink-haired harpy had to die. Dia wasn't stupid, however. Tayuya was strong and no harpy in their generation could beat her one-on-one or even two-on-one. Five-on-one was a different game altogether.

"Hey, bitches!" the hated bellow of their prey made the harpies snap their heads around immediately. Tayuya hovered smugly above the trees to one side, looking slightly roughed up but otherwise unharmed.

"Tayuya!" Dia snarled.

"That's the name, skank. Don't wear it out!" the reincarnated kunoichi sneered, "Howsabout we go another round, Dia? Just you'n me? Oh wait…I'd cream ya like I have the last _dozen_ times you've fought me!"

"Bitch!" the crystalline-winged harpy howled.

"You are so easy to rile up it isn't true, princess!" Tayuya sneered, "And the rest of your-cunt-licking pussy-whipped slaves are along for the ride too, I see."

Jadia, Sapphira, Emrelda and Ambra flushed scarlet at that. Yes, they had experimented with Dia in bed and yes, that was something that was frowned upon, if only because Dia hadn't actually _earned_ four lovers. In the harpy society, one earned their keep. The greater their contribution to the tribe, the greater their status and rewards for their service. This included men and women captured in raids as slaves, as well as lesser members of the tribe. Members chosen by one of higher status were greatly honoured by being selected and served their new mistresses with great devotion.

Dia was a powerful harpy and would undoubtedly earn those rights and honours in the fullness of time, but all harpies, regardless of bloodlines and lineage, were expected to obey the rules set down for the first year of their life before they were assigned a task for the greater good of the tribe. This included limiting themselves to one lover at a time.

"Shut up, you moulting skank!" Dia shrieked, "I am supposed to stand at the top of our clutch, not you! Vanish and die!"

With a violent gesture from their leader, the other harpies lunged into the attack; talons extended and ready to cut Tayuya into pieces. The reincarnated harpy just smiled, however.

" **[Sonic Arrow]!** " she snarled and unleashed the unique magic that she had been reincarnated with, **[Sound Magic]**. The weaker spells had been easy to spam for her, until she achieved some level of experience with them. Then she had levelled up and earned some better spells, such as the **[Sonic Arrow]** spell.

A ripple in the air was the only sign that something had been cast and then Sapphira shrieked in pain as something slammed into her, sending her falling into the trees below, which broke her fall, although she was knocked out.

"Not so fuckin' easy when you're not sneaking up on me and muting me with wind magic, is it?!" Tayuya crowed as she dodged out of the way of the other three attacks, "Come and get me, bitches!"

With that, she dived through the canopy below her and vanished from sight.

Now any harpy of sufficient experience will know to never venture into a forest in pursuit of a foe. The trees of forest density limit their manoeuvrability, the defining strength of a harpy, and force them to hop along branches if they cannot fully spread their wings. It is one reason that mountains that border grasslands are favoured territories of harpies.

Dia was not only inexperienced in combat, she was also arrogant, pig-headed and so blinded by anger that any co0mmon sense flew out the window.

"Well? Are you waiting for an invitation or something?" she demanded, "AFTER HER!"

Gulping, the other harpies nodded and dived into the canopy after Tayuya, the leader a feather's length behind them.

' _Prepare to die, bitch!_ ' Dia snarled in her mind.

 _With Gobuto_

He had to admit it; Tayuya was a master of taunting her enemies into a frenzy. The idiots were diving after her with almost no hesitation. He was perched in a tree, using [Stealth] to remain hidden as Tayuya lead the four remaining harpies towards him. Even from this distance, he could see their names and levels.

 **Ambra LV7**

 **[-]**

 **Jadia LV7**

 **[-]**

 **Emrelda LV7**

 **[-]**

 **Dia LV8**

 **[Heiress to Halmas Tribe Chief]**

All of them were stronger than him, even if it was by a small margin. In the quick rundown that Tayuya had given him, the missing one, Sapphira, had a minor blessing of the Demigod of the Wind, granting her access to wind magic. That would have been troublesome, so she had planned on knocking her out ASAP. Evidently she had succeeded.

What made this operation problematic was that if any of them died, _Tayuya_ would be blamed thanks to Dia's relatively high rank and lineage in the harpy village. So the delinquent harpies would have to be brought down non-lethally. Thus the quest that that the both of them had received.

 **[Quest Alert!]**

 **Pluck Feathers: The Harpy Tayuya, a fellow Reincarnator, is being pursued by rivals from her village. Defeat them without killing them to help her.**

 **Quest Reward: +1500 EXP, +50 SP, [Neutral] Relationship with Tayuya.**

 **Quest Failure: [Dislike] Relationship with Tayuya, Possible Death.**

 **This Quest Cannot be Refused.**

That's just lovely.

Despite the pink-haired former kunoichi's actions in their past lives, Gobuto didn't especially dislike her. Yes, she had worked for Orochimaru, which was probably why she was here, and yes, she had helped the Snake Sannin get his hands on Sasuke, but that was during her last life. This life was a clean slate, so long as they weren't like Madara.

He silently drew his dirk and reversed it as Tayuya sped beneath him. As the other harpies flew underneath him, he dropped on top of the light green-feathered one, Jadia, and slammed the hilt of his dirk onto the back of her head.

"Wha-!?" she cried and tried to throw him off, but he struck the back of her head three more times with the iron hilt of his dirk, finally making her eyes roll up as she lost the battle for consciousness.

 **You have disabled Jadia the Harpy! You gain 150 EXP!**

 **{Congratulations! As a result of repeated actions, you have learned the skill [Cold-Cocking]!}**

 **[Cold-Cocking] (Active) [LV1, 00.00]**

 **Requires a blunt weapon to be used. Alternatively, the hilt of a sword of haft of a spear, just as a couple of examples, could be used instead, which would make them count as [Improvised Weapons] for the duration of the skill.**

 **Cold-Cocking is a surprise attack with a blunt instrument intended to knock someone out. The target is usually either the jaw or the back of the head of the enemy and is surprisingly effective, although less so if not used as an ambush.**

 **\- Costs 30 MP per use.**

 **\- If targeted at the jaw or back of the head of the target, grants a 50% chance at inflicting [Stun] upon the target. If done via ambush or while the target is unaware of the user's location, that percentage increases to 70%.**

 **\- If targeted at the jaw or back of the head of the target, grants a 30% chance at inflicting [Unconsciousness] on the enemy. If used during an ambush or when the target is otherwise unaware of your presence, that percentage is raised to 50%.**

While useful, it wasn't what Gobuto was concerned about at the moment. The moment the harpy girl had lost consciousness, she and Gobuto had started to plummet to the ground. Hastily sheathing his weapon, the reincarnated ninja grabbed a branch while keeping a hold on Jadia's arm, swinging to land in the pile of leaves he had set up just for this situation.

"What happened to Jadia?!"

"Something ambushed her from above!"

"Stop talking nonsense! _We_ are the only flying tribe in this area, and the only other harpy aside from our group in the entire forest is the one in front of us!"

Hurriedly pulling a coil of rope from his pack, Gobuto bound the unconscious harpy by her arms, legs and wings before stuffing her inside a tree. Then he headed out and climbed a tree again, hopping from branch to branch as quietly as possible. This had the bonus effect of raising his **[Stealth]** , **[Silent Movement]** and **[Silent Forest Movement]** skills by a level.

"Kyaaa!" the other green-feathered one shrieked as another [Sonic Arrow] slammed into her head courtesy of Tayuya. "Dia, we're getting picked off one by one here!"

The crystalline-winged Dia looked absolutely incensed. "Tayuya! Who the hell do you have helping you?!"

"Wouldn't you like to know, ya whore!" the former kunoichi sneered, "What you _should_ be worried about is what the Elders'll do to you when I drag all five of you in front of them for trying to kill me!"

From what Gobuto could see of the remaining three enemies' faces, they didn't like that scenario whatsoever. The leader, Dia, seemed to go all pale and pasty at the very thought of it. The Elders were similar to advisors in his old world, made up of several of the oldest and wisest harpies. They advised the Chief and could persuade her with arguments about various issues…including punishments issued to harpicidal harpies.

Serves her right. She made a piss-poor plan and thought with her pride and arrogance, rather than with cool, calm and in-control thoughts. Back in his and Tayuya's old world, that kind of planning would have gotten her killed.

"Now then!" Tayuya shouted, "Let's get this fucking fight over with!"

 **OGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNK**

 **Next Chapter: Orc Invasion**

 **OGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNK**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: OK, so I may not have said this specifically, but I had thought it was heavily implied. I see that I will have to state it explicitly here though.**

 **I am doing my best to make this story different to the original RE: Monster story. Gobujiji is the ONLY character that will be imported from RE: Monster. Rou and his crew DO NOT exist in this world and as last chapter definitely should have made clear, there is not going to be any appearance by Kazıklı Bey either, as it is a polearm and thus, not something that Gobuto likes to wield.**

 **No, I am not going to change my mind here. My story, my rules. I will ask for opinions if necessary, but at the end of the day, it is my story to write and I cannot write something that I dislike and I dislike the idea of being so lazy as to just randomly include characters from RE: Monster in a totally different world.**

 **With that said, enjoy the chapter.**

 **Read and Review! Also, check out my other stories! Also, look at my profile for my update schedule before asking in a review or a PM!**

"I'm a Goblin…" - Regular Speech.

' _…So what?_ ' - Thoughts.

 **{Is the Title}** \- Voice of Heaven Announcement.

 **Chapter 7: Orc Invasion**

Things were not going according to plan for Dia. That was actually something of an understatement; Sapphira and Jadia were knocked out and missing respectively, Emrelda had been hit by one of Tayuya's **[Sonic Arrows]** and the pink-haired bitch had someone or something helping her take them down!

' _Could this entire thing be some kind of setup?! Did that bitch plan this!? Did she goad me into attacking her?!_ ' the crystalline harpy thought, sweating as the sound-user glared evilly at her, before shaking her head and trying to dispel the panic that was twinging on her thoughts. She could easily recall the look of shock that Tayuya had worn when they ambushed her at the village's outskirts and dismissed that notion.

No, they had managed to catch the pink-haired harpy completely off-guard with their attack. So the only other option was a spur-of-the-moment alliance with a being she had met when she pulled her disappearing act? That was more likely. A kobold? Something else?

"Dia! What do we do!?" Ambra called urgently from ahead. Emrelda was still shaking off the effects of the **[Sonic Arrow]** and was thus still dazed and groggy.

"'What do we do'?!" she snapped backed, practically roaring in her fury. "Kill her!" She would be damned before she let this offspring of common warriors outdo her again!

Uncertainly, Ambra narrowed her eyes at Tayuya. She may not have a powerful blessing from a god or demigod like Sapphira and Dia, nor did she not have access to a unique type of magic like Tayuya, but what Ambra did have was a skill called **[Underdog]**. It granted her extra TOU when facing an enemy that was more powerful than she was, as well as increasing her LUK. As the lone harpy was two levels higher than she was, it would doubtlessly activate.

What worried her was that Tayuya had developed at least three devastating sound-based spells during her time at the village. At the start, all the sound magic had been able to do was increase or decrease the amount of sound that she or another harpy could hear, but the pink harpy had practiced with that skill almost fanatically, eventually developing the Tier 1 spell **[Sonic Arrow]** as a result. Her two other spells, that the other harpies knew about at least, were a Tier 1 and Tier 2 respectively; which was an astonishingly amazing accomplishment for a harpy only six months old.

Ambra, like the other harpies of her little group, was head over talons in lust and possible love with Dia, but the prospect at being hit by **[Sonic Shriek]** or **[Sonic Drill Arrow]** would make the most ardent swain pause before leaping into the line of fire. Both of those hurt like hell and **[Sonic Drill Arrow]** was a Tier 2 spell and was thus a hell of a lot more powerful than either the basic **[Sonic Arrow]** or **[Sonic Shriek]**. Ambra had once seen Tayuya use the powerful spell to pierce straight through a boulder all the way to the other side.

"What's the matter, cunt-licker?" Tayuya sneered.

"Grrrr….!" Ambra was almost as hot-headed as her lover and having her orientation mocked was akin to a red flag to a bull. " **[Underdog]!** " with a snarl she activated her skill, and an orange glow instantly suffused her body as it activated successfully.

"Huh…so you had that up your sleeve." The pink-haired harpy noted absently as the yellow-feathered harpy shot toward her, though her smirk never wavered. "Not bad…but not good enough. **[Sonic Shriek]!** "

Tayuya opened her mouth and screamed, unleashing a large blast of sound at her enemies. It struck all three at once, making them wail and shriek in pain as their ears were assaulted by the powerful attack. Even Gobuto, stealthily climbing the tree near Dia, winced at the sound, although he was fortunately out of the Area of Effect, so his HP didn't drop.

Emrelda, having only just recovered from a **[Sonic Arrow]** to the head, was unable to handle the **[Sonic Shriek]** , falling unconscious as the destructive sound wave pounded at her skull. She was, fortunately enough, hovering over a branch when that happened, so the fall likely wouldn't kill her.

"Emrelda!" Ambra yelled out in concern for her companion before whirling on Tayuya in a fury, "Why you…!"

She reengaged her charge, aiming her talons at the pink-haired bitch's neck. With a dismissive snort, Tayuya folded her wings and fell a sew feet to dodge the attack before flaring and flapping them to shoot up again, slamming the hardest portion of her skull into Ambra's solar plexus.

While they may have had close levels, it was important to note that in terms of combat experience Tayuya, with her memories of countless shinobi battles, had a near insurmountable edge. One that the younger harpies had little hope of overcoming with their number advantage curtailed.

"Gah!" the harpy choked out, almost falling from the powerful blow, but barely managing to flap herself away from her enemy.

"Huh…ain't that a shocker?" Tayuya smirked, "You're a bit tougher than I gave you credit for. Though, it's probably only thanks to that skill you used that you weren't knocked out. Lucky you, bitch."

"Ambra!" Dia shrieked as the pink-haired harpy calmly backhanded her yellow-winged lover and knocked her for six. Eyes rolled back and her stamina pushed beyond the limit of even her **[Underdog]** skill, Ambra collapsed like a puppet with cut strings, only stopped from falling by Tayuya grabbing her by her clothing using her leg talons before absently dropping her onto a nearby branch.

"And then there was one." Tayuya stated, a suitably evil grin spreading across her face as she started to crack her knuckles, "Oh, I have been _waiting_ for this since you ambushed me, bitch!"

The crystalline harpy was beside herself with despair and fury. Why was this girl constantly getting in her way?! Dia was of strong bloodlines that dated back generations, while Tayuya was of a random coupling between a human soldier-turned-slave and a low-ranked harpy warrior! Even if she had a rare type of magic, there should have been no possible way for her to become so proficient with it so quickly!

"Damn you…damn yooooouuuu!" Dia shrieked. She had the blessing of the Lesser God of Jewels and Precious Stones, an unheard of blessing for a harpy. Her wings were not simply crystalline in appearance; they actually WERE crystal, a visible sign of her blessing, as well as a weapon for her to use.

" **[Crystal Daggers]!** " she snarled as she gave her wings a single strong beat, aiming them directly at Tayuya and launching a barrage of six-inch long, crystalline feathers at the Reincarnator.

"Get real. **[Sonic Arrow]!** " Tayuya snorted, blasting the crystalline missiles out of the air and destroying them. Sound, when attuned to a certain pitch, could shatter glass and crystal quite easily. Tayuya, as a former kunoichi who had specialised in sound and music-based attacks, knew this very well, which was why Dia was almost completely helpless against her. It didn't help that at her current level, the crystalline harpy was limited to using only a single form crystal for her attacks, so Tayuya only had to find and memorize a single frequency to destroy her crystals and thus neutralise Dia as a threat.

Gobuto winced as he noticed the almost broken look on Dia's face as she was confronted with a battle she could not win. He'd seen that look plenty of times when he was younger and some over-egoed jerkass had just realised a crazy kid with whiskers was about to ruin all their plans.

He decided to be merciful and put her out of her misery before her brain completely broke…by knocking her out. Wouldn't want to fail his quest, after all!

Dropping down from the tree he was in, Gobuto landed on a surprised Dia before slamming the hilt of his dirk into her jaw once, then twice. The diamond-coloured harpy went down like a pile of bricks after the second blow.

 **{You have knocked out Dia the Harpy! You gain 280 EXP!}**

Grabbing onto a branch and keeping a hold on Dia at the same time was tough, but manageable. Lucky for him harpies were actually quite light for their size. Heaving the unconscious harpy onto the branch, Gobuto saw that Tayuya was glaring at him, looking quite dissatisfied.

"I wanted to take that bitch down!" she growled.

"Hey, she was about two seconds away from having a mental breakdown from realising that you'd managed to beat her!" he barked backed with a growl, "It was already over bar the kicking, and I highly doubt that bringing someone in broken would make your Elders happy, especially this one! We've got to be cautious about how we handle things here Tayuya, this place isn't like the Shinobi world!"

"Tch." The former kunoichi clicked her tongue but gave him a curt nod, "Fine. Guess you have a point, 'Hokage-sama'."

 **[Quest Complete!]**

 **Plucking Feathers: You successfully disabled two of the five harpies pursuing Tayuya, with her taking down the remaining three. Well done!**

 **Quest Reward: +1500 EXP, +50 SP, [Neutral] Relationship with Tayuya.**

 **Bonus: Knocking Out Dia, the leader: +2 Levels to randomly selected skill.**

 **Randomising…**

 **Skill [Stench] has levelled up! LV1-LV3!**

Well that was two wasted levels!

"Fuck yeah! I just levelled up!" the pink-haired harpy smirked.

"I didn't, but that's because I just levelled up this morning." Gobuto shrugged, "So what are you going to do with these five?"

"Tie 'em up and drag 'em back to the village." Tayuya said with a shrug, "No way am I strong enough to fly them up, so dragging them is the best I can do."

"I have rope." Gobuto held up some, "I'll want it back, though."

"Tch. OK." The former kunoichi frowned, "Dunno when I'll be able to get it back to you, though. Fuck knows when the old birds on the Council of Elders and the Chief will get through with this lot."

"Will there be any backlash on you?" the goblin asked in concern.

"Nah, there's a magic artefact that the council uses in cases like this that forces someone to tell the truth." Tayuya shrugged, "'Magic'…hah! Back in our world, magic was nothing more than an idiot fucktard's way of explaining chakra!"

Gobuto nodded ruefully, a small smirk crossing his lips. There had always been priests and priestesses claiming to have 'divine power bestowed upon them by the gods.' Half the time it had turned to be some type of particularly rare chakra or a Kekkei Genkai manifesting in someone several generations removed from a Clan. The other half it had usually turned out to be some act or stunt pulled a charlatan hoping to milk people for whatever they wanted.

Hell, a few times it had actually been the result of demonic chakra either from some remnant of the Tailed Beasts or some other malignant chakra manifestations, like Mōryō or the Reibi.

"Takes some getting used to, doesn't it?" he offered with a snort.

"You don't know the half of it pipsqueak." Tayuya shot back with a smirk

"Guess so." Gobuto conceded, ignoring the slightly insulting nickname. She did have six months experience over him, so it was likely she knew a lot more than he had managed to figure out.

The two were fairly quiet as they gathered up the scattered harpy girls and bound them in the lengths of rope that Gobuto had stashed in his **[Bag of Holding]**. The sight of the magic bag had raised an eyebrow from Tayuya.

"Where the fuck did you get a magic bag from?" she asked bluntly.

"Spoils from adventurers who were killed before I was born." Gobuto grunted as he tossed Sapphira down next to her fellow harpies, "The older generation either didn't know what it was or were too stupid to realise how useful it could be."

"Makes sense." Tayuya snorted, "From what I hear, ordinary gobs 're thicker than two short planks, with hobgoblins being only slightly less retarded."

He really wanted to defend his fellow goblins, but Gobuto had to admit that she was right. His fellow newborn Goblins hadn't even been able to figure out that _Horned Rabbits_ attacked with their _horns_.

Sheesh. He had been born amidst a race of idiots.

"Later, shithead." Tayuya rose into the air and grabbed the lines of rope that were attached to the waists of the girls. "Dunno when I'll be back, but don't die before I make good on my side of our deal."

"Back atcha." Gobuto smirked, then winced as Tayuya flew off, dragging the five bound harpies behind her across the ground, uncaring of anything that they might hit on their way…such as rocks, boulders or even the occasional tree.

" **[Analyse Creature]** " he tried before he lost sight of the pink harpy.

 **[Your skill is of insufficient level to analyse this creature.]**

"Figures." Gobuto sighed. He started to trudge back to the cave. He was now hungry again after all that running and climbing, so he decided to hunt a Horned Rabbit or two on the way back.

He was a growing goblin after all.

 **The Next Day**

Gobuto had woken up early this morning and had decided to busy himself with making more spears. They were fairly popular with the other goblins since they kept any enemies at arm's length and gave them a bit of reach against anything bigger or stronger than them. Which, considering they were Goblins, was pretty much everything.

' _Yesterday_ _was a pain._ ' He thought irritably as he worked. The fuss and feathers (no pun intended) that had been kicked up by his group's run-in with the harpies had taken him an age to calm down. Some of the stupider goblins (which really said a lot for how stupid they were) wanted to go and kill them. Given that these idiots were barely Level 4, the only ones ending up dead would likely be those morons.

So Gobuto, being the kind and caring leader he was, had gently dissuaded them with several doses of percussive persuasion (read: he beat them up until they couldn't move).

Once he had made his thirtieth spear a pop-up made him smile.

 **[Crude Spear Making] has levelled up! LV1-LV2!**

This meant that his spears would be made with better stats from here on out, which was good. What was bad was that it had taken thirty-plus spears to level it up and Gobuto wasn't sure that the skill was worth the hassle of levelling it up.

' _Meh._ _I'll just keep making spears when I can and not worry about the level of the skill._ ' He decided. It wasn't as if the spears were going to be used against anything but Horned Rabbits. The goblins seemed to be very fond of Horned Rabbit meat for some reason, preferring it to almost any other meat when they could get it.

Speaking of meat, it was time to do the **[Food for the Pot]** quest and hunt some meat. Stacking his finished spears against the wall of the cave he had persuaded Gobujiji to make the goblin armoury, Gobuto set out to track down Goburyū and Goburimi.

After making a quick stop at the treasure room, he found Goburyū practicing with his club in an isolated area of the main cavern.

"Gobuto!" the big male goblin greeted him with a smile. The goblin was still dense, but also loyal, Gobuto's second in command over the others who had quickly become his precious minions. Saying it like that, even in his head, made Gobuto feel like some kind of villain. He'd have to refrain from doing that in the future.

"Ready to hunt, Goburyū?" he asked.

"Always!"

"Good. Then you can have this." Gobuto said as he reached into his **[Bag of Holding]** and drew out a short Warhammer that was around about the right size for a goblin to use. It had probably once belonged to either a Dwarf or Halfling warrior, but from now on this weapon belonged to the awestruck Goburyū.

 **[Steel Warhammer]**

 **Average Quality Hand Weapon**

 **A hammer designed to be used in combat first and foremost. In the hands of a skilled warrior, this weapon can smash skulls and rend armour with ease. Even a relatively unskilled warrior is a danger when carrying this weapon, as it can be turned over to use the spike on the opposite side of the hammerhead to pierce through armour and open it up for others to attack through.**

 **Special Feature: [Armour Piercing Spike]: If flipped around, the user changes to the second damage profile shown below. Additionally, any armour struck by this weapon in either profile has its Durability reduced by an additional 5 points per hit.**

 **Blunt Hammer Profile:**

 **Slashing Damage: None**

 **Piercing Damage: None**

 **Concussive Damage: S+25**

 **Armour Piercing Spike Profile:**

 **Slashing Damage: None**

 **Piercing Damage: S+30**

 **Concussive Damage: S**

Gobuto could see that this was the best weapon for Goburyū in case he ran into more heavily armoured opponents like the [Outcast Orc]. A basic wooden club wouldn't have helped him there, even if the idiot _hadn't_ been paralyzed with fear.

"Th-thank you, Gobuto!" the other goblin said as he clumsily picked up the hammer by the handle.

"It'll take a while before you become used to it, so carry it around with you." Gobuto advised, "Where's Goburimi?"

"She's talking with Gobujiji about something." The other goblin replied, still fascinated by his plain, functional weapon.

Looking around, Gobuto spotted Goburimi, who was indeed talking to Gobujiji, waving her arms animatedly. The old goblin was stroking his beard as he listened and nodded slowly in agreement with whatever the female goblin was saying.

Walking on over, Gobuto hung back a bit so they could finish talking. It only took a couple more minutes before the old goblin shuffled off to leave and Gobuto approached his female teammate.

"Yo, Goburimi!" he called out from almost directly behind her, startling the female Gob.

"EH!? Gobuto?!" Goburimi leapt back in surprise, "When did you get here?!"

"Just a minute ago." He answered honestly, "What were you talking with Gobujiji about?"

"I was convincing him that we need a proper leader." Goburimi answered, looking down and scuffing her bare foot on the stone floor, "I mean, everyone knows that you're the strongest of us all and we usually do what you say, but some of the others are starting to act a bit…shady."

By that she meant that they were stealing food from other goblins rather than hunting it themselves. Again, it was the low-levelled morons doing this. Gobuto had already planned another round of gentle, disciplinary pummelling for those assholes.

"If you were our official leader, you could punish them if they keep on pulling this crap." She concluded, "It's getting to the point that some of the others are thinking about taking care of them."

Naruto nodded, it was a good idea to give him a bit of official authority to stop the others from doing something rash and stupid. Which was odd, though not in a bad way, since his species was, as he stated before, made up of idiots.

Curious, Gobuto activated his **[Analyse Creature]** skill and scanned her.

 **Goburimi – Level 7**

 **S: 15**

 **T: 10**

 **D: 15**

 **I: 17**

 **W: 20**

Well that explained that. She had allocated a lot of her points towards her mental skills rather than focus on improving her physical ones like Goburyū had. Goblins were usually dense as rocks, so it must have been his own example of using his brain that inspired her to do that.

"Good idea." he agreed, "Anyway, Goburyū and me are ready to go hunting. You want to come with?"

"Yes! Just let me load up on spears!" the female goblin said eagerly. She scurried off to grab her bag of the things.

' _She_ _really likes those things._ ' Gobuto thought in bemusement. They were weapons of only marginal usability, yet the female goblin was very fond of them, seen practicing with one at least some of the day when hunting, and quite a bit of the day if it was raining.

It was odd, but there had been worse fixations…Tenten's love of sharp, pointed objects used as projectiles, for example, or even Sakura's 'secret' BL fixation. Gods all above, the nosebleeds she got when one of Konohamaru's students had somehow learned the _**Reverse Harem Jutsu**_ and featured several people that Sakura had been attracted to (Sai, Sasuke, a few other people) when she had used it in front of Tsunade's Second Apprentice had been both…entertaining and disgusting to some degree.

Shudder.

He quickly repressed that disturbing memory back into a dark corner of his mind and focused on checking his equipment. It was time to hunt.

 _Later_

 _In the Forest_

"Something's wrong here." Gobuto muttered as he looked around at the trees suspiciously, "We haven't seen a _single_ Horned Rabbit since we started, and this area is usually thick with them."

"Yeah." Goburimi nodded, a spear clutched in her hand.

All that they got from Goburyū was the rumble of his stomach.

When he was wandering around the edge of a clearing a few minutes later, Gobuto was struck by a sense of wrongness. Looking down, he saw several broken branches on the closest bush, plus a familiar lingering scent.

"Shit!" he cursed, thanking whatever determined that he received the **[Instinctual Tracking]** skill the day before yesterday, because it had told him that someone had disturbed this area.

"What's the problem?" the female goblin asked in concern.

"Goburyū, do you smell that?" Gobuto demanded.

The burly goblin sniffed where Gobuto stood then recoiled. "Orc!"

"Yeah, and not just one or two either." The former Hokage said grimly, "There're signs of at least ten or twenty of the things passing through here. At a guess it was sometime last night."

"Th-this isn't good!" Goburimi gulped, "We only have thirty goblins! If that many Orcs come for us, we're finished!"

"We just have to make sure that they don't find our cave." Gobuto responded calmly, doing his best to reassure her, "You two head back and let Gobujiji know about the orcs, tell him to keep everyone back in the cave for now."

"Wh-what'll you be doing, Gobuto?" Goburyū asked with a gulp.

"I'll be finding the Orcs' main camp so we know to stay clear of that area." the former ninja answered and dashed into the bushes. He clambered up a tree and started to follow the clear signs of a group of large beings smashing through the foliage with little care as to who may be following them. Seriously, a half-blind gerbil with a concussion could follow these Orcs!

He took care to have all three of his concealment skills active as he travelled and, much to his surprise and delight, his [Instinctual Tracking] skill levelled up en-route. Because it was a passive skill, it automatically registered any incongruities in the surrounding area and brought them to his attention with a sense of wrongness about the area in question. And, as he kept following the trail, new things kept being discovered and thus feeling wrong to him, thus levelling his skill up pretty damn fast.

He paused at the edge of another clearing and carefully brushed a bundle of leaves aside to peer into the clearing. Fighting against some dog-like humanoids were the Orcs, and these guys far more intimidating than the [Outcast Orc] he had backstabbed recently. All of them were heavily-muscled walking walls that looked like they could the Akimichi back home a run for their money, although they did look as if they were a bit on the hungry side.

 **Orc Soldier – LV10**

 **Orc Sergeant – LV12**

 **Lesser Orc Lord – LV15**

There were ten of them all told; eight [Orc Soldiers] at Level 10, dressed in leather armour and steel helmets and armed with large scimitars and round shields, an [Orc Sergeant] at Level 12, wearing slightly better quality leather armour and carrying a battle-axe of monstrous size that looked razor sharp, and a [Lesser Orc Lord] at Level 15, wearing steel armour, including greaves, gauntlets, pauldrons and a chainmail shirt, but no helmet. His weapon was an enormous greatsword that was three times the height of Goburyū, who was the tallest goblin in the cave.

The dog-things were wearing piecemeal pieces of armour; a chestplate, bracers and light greaves and that was it. They wielded spears for the most part, with one or two carrying longswords. There were roughly ten of them as well.

 **Kobold Warrior – LV10**

 **Kobold Warrior Chief – LV14**

So these were Kobolds? They looked like dogs or wolves standing on their hind legs. They were also fairly quick, a lot quicker than the Orcs, but the Orcs were able to tank a lot of hits from the Kobolds' spears and swords. Two of the Kobolds had been forced to fall back due to injuries compared to the single orc which had a bad stab wound in its left shoulder.

The growling and barking of the Kobolds didn't sound like any language to Gobuto, but he assumed that it had to be a language, as they were coordinating their attacks on the Orcs. The squeals and grunts of the porcine monsters were a bit more recognisable to him, but again, he had no clue what they were saying.

It didn't actually matter. The Orcs were the invaders here and this was east of the goblin cave system, so the Kobolds must belong to one of the tribes Gobujiji was talking about a couple of days ago.

What he was planning on doing was what one might call utterly foolish, but none of the orcs could reach him in the trees and they didn't exactly look like the sharpest knives in the drawer anyway.

" **[Mana Bolt]!** " he whispered, unleashing the magic attack at the injured Orc before tree-leaping away to the left.

The **[Mana Bolt]** slammed into the head of the [Orc Warrior] and made it squeal loudly in pain before slumping forwards slightly, stunned. The other Orcs ignored their wounded compatriot as it had been shrieking every so often and they were focussed on the enemy.

The Kobolds, however, _did_ see the magic spell lance out and hit the Orc and didn't question the fact that they had an ally in the forest. So when a second **[Mana Bolt]** slammed into the almost comatose orc and killed it, they howled to cover up the death rattle of the Orc.

 **{You have successfully slain an [Orc Warrior]! You gain 250 EXP!}**

Gobuto smiled grimly. Those were the only couple of free shots he was likely to get. Anything further would alert the other orcs that he was there. Now would be the prudent time for him to withdraw, but he wasn't going to do that. Naruto Uzumaki was never one to turn tail from a challenge and neither was Gobuto.

" **[Mana Bolt]!** " he snarled, " **[Mana Bolt]!** "

The two bolts of magic sped from his hand and struck the [Lesser Orc Lord] right in the back, making him wonder if the **[Backstab]** skill applied to magic or not.

The squeals of pain from their leader distracted the other Orcs enough for the Kobolds to redouble their efforts on them, scoring a good handful of blows against their attackers, with even the wounded Kobolds getting back in the action.

" **[Mana Bolt]!** " Gobuto fired another blast of magic at the [Lesser Orc Lord], scoring a hit on the monster's right wrist and blowing off its hand.

 **{You have successfully 'disarmed' the [Lesser Orc Lord]! You earn 50 EXP!}**

Wincing at the appalling transparency of that dreadful pun, Gobuto sent out another **[Mana Bolt]** , this time at the [Orc Sergeant], who was oinking at the [Orc Soldiers] and waving its large fatty arms in the general direction of where Gobuto was hiding. Once more, the bolt struck the Orc's head with a nice little explosion, staggering it with a porcine squeal of pain.

 **[Mana Bolt] has levelled up! LV1-LV2!**

 **[Mana Channelling] has levelled up! LV1-LV2!**

The [Lesser Orc Lord], clutching the stump of its wrist and having abandoned its broadsword, let loose a long and high-pitched squeal that made the other Orcs look around at him and then fall back to form up around him. Not even trying to recover their fallen comrade, they double-timed it to the far side of the clearing away from both Gobuto's position and the snarling Kobolds. They vanished into the trees with a chorus of triumphant howls from the Kobolds.

Job done, Gobuto slipped away and started heading back to the goblin caves. He had to make a plan to deal with these Orcs. He wanted to go out and grab the Orc corpse to chow down on them, but he had no idea if the Kobolds would attack him or not, so he decided, regretfully, to forgo that for once.

 _With the Kobolds_

Rufus Lupus, Warrior Chief of the Broken Fang Tribe of Kobolds, huffed and sheathed his sword across his back. The damn Orcs had come close to overwhelming them before an unknown individual bombarded the Orcs with what looked like a **[Mana Bolt]** spell. That had allowed the Kobolds to rally and deal some damage before that foolish orc, who had been the fattest and had thus been the leader, had had his hand blown off by a lucky shot. Combined with the temporary incapacitation of the second in command of the group, that had prompted them to retreat…for today.

"Frey." He addressed his son.

"Father." He nodded. Like his father, Frey Lupus had brown fur with white splotches on his face. Unlike his father, he also had a black spot over his eye that came from his mother.

"Go and sniff out who it was that was aiding us against those damned Orcs." He ordered, "We owe a debt to them."

"Yes, father." Frey nodded and sped off to follow his father's orders.

"That was too close, Rufus." A grey-furred Kobold grunted as he shouldered his spear, wincing at the cut on his arm. He was lucky he was still so spry despite his age, otherwise he would have lost it.

"Agreed, old man." Rufus wasn't any happier than the old-timer about that, "Why would the Orcs choose _now_ to send a raiding party here? There hasn't been war among the tribes here in two generations, and that was the last time that they tried…and failed."

"That's why, I'd wager." The old Kobold growled, "We may have been tired back then from war, but we were also at the top shape when it came to combat. We put aside our differences thanks to the Wood Elves' intervention and fought them off until they were less than a tenth of the number that started out. With two generations of peace, we're not as strong as we once were and the tribes have spaced out so as not to start a war again."

"In other words, the orcs think we've gone soft and can be defeated in detail." Rufus growled, "I think the elves should be made aware of this incursion."

"That will not make the Chief happy." The other Kobold warned his friend, "Nor the Matriarchs."

"The Chief is a pussy-whipped fool with his balls removed and decorating his mate's ears." The Warrior Chief sneered, "And those contrary old bitches can't have it both ways. We cannot be the strongest without proving it to others and we cannot prove it to others without interacting with them. The Iron Claw Tribe has risen in strength with their trading with the elves, while we languish in our isolation. These Orcs are a good excuse to make the matriarchs see reason."

"Matriarchs see what they want, not what is actually there." The old Kobold snorted, "By the way, that whelp of yours is coming back."

"He's not a whelp, old man." Rufus retorted as Frey approached, "He fought well for an unblooded warrior. Had his spear not snapped, he would have killed one, I am sure. My son, what word do you bring me?"

"Father, whoever it was hid in the branches of the trees and left no visible signs of their presence there." The young Kobold answered, "It was almost flawless, save for slight depression in some moss, as well as a scent trail. It was a goblin, father."

"A goblin?" the Warrior Chief repeated in confusion.

"A goblin." Frey confirmed, "Whoever he was, he arrived just as the tide turned against us and left moments after the Orcs. He wore items of steel, father. No rust on them that I could scent."

"A goblin…" Rufus shook his head, "Has to be the old Wailing Morn Cavern tribe. They're the only goblins in the area. Last I heard, most of their powerful members left on a raid though, over two weeks ago or so. Does this mean this is a new goblin? One that's got an inherent skill with magic?"

Monsters had an easier time of it when it came to skills compared to humans and the like. As with other races, they were either born with the skills or they learned them. What was different about monsters was that it was actually rarer for monsters to be born _without_ a skill of some sort, rather than the other way around. Magical skills of any stripe were some of the rarer skills available, and it brought with it the basic **[Mana Channelling]** skill to allow its use, as well as the simple **[Mana Bolt]** spell. All magic casters could use **[Mana Bolt]** , although not all magic casters chose to use it. It was useful, yes, but as it was so common, making a shield that could specifically negate it was child's play so long as another magic caster of any skill could experiment with it for a day or so.

"Looks like it." The old Kobold grunted, "What now?"

"We tend our wounded and grab that oversized sword." The Warrior Chief stated, gesturing at the broadsword, "Leave the Orc to rot. We have to convince the Elders and the Chief to call a Forest Council for the first time in two generations. Orcs are far worse than goblins; they breed like cockroaches with anything that's female and fertile and they have no ability to restrain themselves or their desires. At least goblins only go after human and elven women!"

A rumble of agreement came from the other Kobolds.

"A war again…che. These old bones aren't up for that kind of nonsense." The old grey Kobold grumbled.

"Oh, quit your complaining, Lykaon Moonscar." Frey snorted, "You'll outlive even my pups, once I have some."

"Cheeky pup." Lykaon snorted, "As you aren't carrying a weapon, you can carry the damn oversized hunting knife that orc was so kind as to leave behind."

Frey's tail and ears drooped. "Gods of the Moon, give me strength."

 **OGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNK**

 **Next Chapter: The Forest Council**

 **OGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNKOGNK**


End file.
